Absorbing The Demon
by Sunstrike
Summary: Growing pains are hard to deal with...especially when the pains fight back. Sasu/Naru and Kaka/Iru fic yaoi. Don't like, don't read.
1. Absorbing The Demon 1

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke pairing yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter One Absorbing The Demon  
  
Water and soap suds flew everywhere. Naruto hated cleaning dishes, it was a crappy way to end a good day. But Iruka-sensei had said that he was going to bring take-out ramen over. He also said that if the boy didn't have any dishes done then he would just take it all back home for himself. Naruto was fairly certain that his old teacher was at least half kidding when he said that, so, he decided to do half the dishes.  
  
He had changed into a black shirt and some boxers because his old outfit was just too hot to do this sort of work in. As he bent over his task he remembered when he didn't have to get a backache by just being next to the sink. He had grown a lot over the past month; and a few years had effectively gotten rid of any baby fat, with only a few traces lingering around the edges. Lean and tall, he almost matched Iruka for height, so he was trying to find some new clothes to fit his change. He was hoping that this new modification would require the fatigues of a full class ninja. For now though, he would settle for the usual orange jump suit, even if it was a bit thread bare. His hair remained a constant, especially during these hot autumn nights where he cut it short and left it spiky. A soapy bronze arm wiped the sweat off his brow and he grinned. He had only just come back this week from the beach. His teammates were off on a mission so he had been waiting patiently this whole time to see their reactions to the new and improved Naruto.  
  
The view outside his window darkened as night approached. He doubled his efforts; even half of the pile next to him was turning into an arduous task for the young man. His nose twitched, night wasn't the only thing making shadows, a storm was coming, and he could smell the sharp scent of fresh rain mingling with the decay of autumn leaves. He chuckled thoughtfully to himself; Iruka would have to walk home wet. The mischief that seemed to flow in constant motion through his veins was tempered by a weak spot he had for the guy. Maybe just this once he'd loan him a blanket and the couch.  
  
Naruto looked at his reflection in the window in surprise. Had he just let a mature and helpful thought enter his head? His brow furrowed in consideration. It must be because he was getting older. Sixteen was practically ancient, and his seventeenth was just around the corner. He grinned, who knew how he had survived for this long with everything that had occurred in his life. He was pretty optimistic now that he had managed to get through basically whole and intact. He blushed, with only a few mental adjustments along the way.  
  
He picked up another object to wash out of the large, but getting smaller, pile next to him. Best not to think of things like that now. He had all but managed to quench any feelings he had towards certain teammates by drowning himself in his training and this spontaneous trip to the seaside. Over all, he thought he had managed to conquer everything he felt, and was now ready to begin the next step of becoming a master ninja. Clear mind, which was never very hard for him, and clear conscience, which was turning out to be more complicated then expected. It was funny how odd things seem to creep up when doing mindless activities.  
  
That's how it began, really, with a thought. Then, someone called his name.  
  
"Naruto."  
  
The boy blinked and turned around. Nothing was there. His blinked a bit stupidly with confusion. Someone had just said his name right by his ear, and yet, the space that normally would have been occupied with a body mass was decidedly empty.  
  
Soapy glass cup still in hand, he walked slowly through his small flat, turning his head this way and that. Even more nothingness greeted him. Just to make sure, he checked all the other windows and the lock on the door. Then looked outside, walking around to the window that led to his kitchen. Still nobody. Feeling more then a little embarrassed at this, Naruto walked back to the sink, dripping more soapy water all over the place. It had been a long day; he wondered where Iruka was.  
  
He had just dunked the cup in for another go when he heard it right by his ear again.  
  
"Naruto.kun." This time he whirled around, glass upraised to use in his self-defence.  
  
Nothing was there. Now he was seriously pissed off.  
  
"Iruka-sensei if this is your idea of a joke." He trailed off as a chuckle echoed that sounded nothing like his teacher.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
Pain ripped through his stomach and the glass shattered in his hand as he gripped it too hard unconsciously. He couldn't even scream as blow after blow scraped across his insides, it felt as if he had swallowed something that was still alive and wanted out. Lightning ripped across the sky as he grabbed the counter to stable himself. As he did so he caught a look of his reflection in the bright harsh light, and his wasn't the only one. He managed to glimpse a tall figure of a man who was grinning malevolently at him. The stranger's eyes and hair were the deep evil red of blood.  
  
Finally managing a strangled shout the boy dove away only to slip on the wet bloody floor. He cracked his head hard on the cold surface of his kitchen, his last view filling with light, and insane laughter filling his mind.  
  
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He awoke to warmth and shouting. He was being carried down a narrow white hallway. People were blurred shapes going past. Even though moving quickly, the only really motion Naruto felt was the fast breathing in the chest next to his head and the vibration in a voice. The same person holding him was making all the noise, he recognized it well, have been at the other end of it many times.  
  
"Hey, Iruka-sensei, do you really need to be that loud? My head hurts." Iruka's face loomed in a watery blurred fashion, and yelled some more, straight into his face.  
  
"Naruto!? Don't you dare go back to sleep! You've had a concussion and lost a lot of blood-" Iruka kicked open a waiting room door and walked in.  
  
I might die, but I'm going to go a lot faster if he doesn't start to be quiet. Oh no. All his senses lost track of his splitting, about to explode head, and settled to his stomach. The instinct of the insanely proud, and about to lose dignity, managed to translate the churning in his stomach.  
  
His eyes sharpened to a narrow view of a trashcan that would be perfect. With the strength of one large sixteen-year-old boy who's pride may be in jeopardy he leapt out of his sensei's arms and landed hard on the floor, frantically making it to his goal with seconds to spare. Everything focused on him losing his lunch, snack, and stomach. He didn't see the nurses shuffling a still yelling Iruka out of the room or the doctor come in. He didn't feel the cool hand on his forehead or the jab of a needle into his arm. For that moment, his world focused on a small can with tissues at the bottom, and what was left of his food.  
  
Finally, when there was nothing left, he managed to fall back into a sitting position. Slumped over, he completely zoned out. He felt utterly hollow, as if more then his stomach contents had been lost. The helplessness was the worst part and if he wasn't so empty, he would have been deeply ashamed of himself. Iruka must have carried him unconscious all the way through town. On top of all this his head started to throb again, making him feel worse.  
  
Someone slowly lifted him up from his wilted position and sat him on the cold plastic and paper patients' bed, then wiped his mouth and face with a warm, wet towel. He finally registered another person in the room besides the doctor who had opened what was left of the door and was standing in the hallway.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei?"  
  
"Don't say anything, kid. As Iruka probably burned into your head with his shouts, you've had a nasty fall." Said kid moaned and slowly raised his hand up to the aching mass that was his big head, only to find himself looking at a severely bandaged mitten hand.  
  
"Your hand didn't fare much better." The big blue and grey blur that was his teacher tilted his head to the side. "I thought you were going away to train and not be as clumsy. You just swam and sunbathed all day didn't you."  
  
"I'm never washing dishes again." Came the low mutter, even that hurt. His own voice echoed painfully and he almost felt sympathy for everyone who had to listen to it over the years. Kakashi laughed softly as if reading his thoughts, then went to confer with the doctor.  
  
Naruto tried to remember what had happened. Big mistake. His memories seemed to be at the end of a tunnel and he was walking barefoot over razor blades as he chased after them. He was startled when strong arms picked him up.  
  
"I can walk, you know, Kakashi-sensei." Now the shame filled him to the brim making him squirm. Naruto felt his teacher's chest move as he gave a snort of laughter.  
  
"And face the wrath of Iruka? You got to be joking, Naruto."  
  
The young boy blushed at how close they were and instantly went still. Damn it, feelings like this was why he stayed away from the others for so long. He was so tired of running away but if emotions like this came from just being near his teacher, god only knew what would happen when he rejoined Sakura and-. No. Better not to think like that.  
  
Kakashi's showing eye crinkled at the edges, and Naruto could hear the smile in his voice. His teacher continued.  
  
"Besides, you can tell me what you did on that little vacation you had from the rest of us. And maybe then I'll go buy some ramen and I'll tell you about all the mistakes Sakura and Sasuke have made in your absence and how much stronger they are and-" His voice trailed off as he felt the deep breathing against his chest that told him that his pupil wasn't too interested in anything but sleep. Still smiling, the older ninja took the injured boy to Iruka's.  
  
There would be time for questions later. 


	2. Absorbing The Demon 2

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke pairing yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Two Absorbing The Demon  
  
A young boy lay in the sand panting. The sun shone on his golden hair and sparkled off of salt-water drops as he shook the excess sea out. When he had finished shaking his head he flopped down with a sigh of satisfaction. He raised a hand up to his eyes to look at the sky that was bright blue, like cornflowers; and then covered his face with his arm. The soft thunder of small waves hitting a shoreline filled him with peace, and the loose soft ground beneath him began to shift as he relaxed slowly, making an imprint in the sand.  
  
Naruto had been training all day along the same beach and had completely worn himself out. As he lay there he grinned. He had accomplished a lot that day, probably more then he had when he was around the others. He found that the restlessness that he felt around his teammates abated when he was alone. The need to stand out goes away when there's no one around to impress or act the fool for. That was how he became clumsy, made mistakes. He had been surprised at how much he actually hadn't needed them this whole time. He didn't even miss them. Well, he corrected, maybe a little.  
  
Suddenly he heard footsteps crunching towards him interrupting his thoughts. Naruto slowly eased his arm off of his eyes and peered in the direction the sound was coming from. A tall silhouette of a man stood there with his head tilted to the side. He was standing with the sun to his back so Naruto couldn't see any features, to the young boy the guy looked like an upright shadow that had taken leave of it's previous owner.  
  
"This is a nice dream." Said the man.  
  
"It's more of a memory." Naruto answered back casually, going back under his arm. He didn't know why he felt so calm about all this, usually when strangers approached he was careful to keep his guard up. And he was fairly certain that this man hadn't been there when he was training. But he felt absolute calm, as if it weren't a stranger at all but an old friend come to visit.  
  
This whole situation was amazingly surreal, as if this all actually was a dream and he had never actually been to this peaceful place. He thought, strangely enough, that he should be remembering something important.  
  
The sand crunched even more and stirred close to his body, telling him the man had sat down next to him. Somehow the day seemed to get a bit warmer as  
  
Naruto could almost feel the soft breathing of the quiet stranger.  
  
"Then it's a nice memory." Naruto took his arm away again to stare at the figure next to him. His breath caught in his throat. Bright red hair floated softly around the man's head, constantly moving with some hidden breeze. It looks like he has tails attached to his head. At the ridiculous thought Naruto laughed softly. A face turned to him and grinned. The boy gulped. His canines showed plainly, they were very pointy. What was that story? 'The better to eat you with.' Two blood red eyes stared into his own, 'The better to see you with.' There wasn't any emotion within them that Naruto could read. The man was also dressed in just a pair of black pants and had bare feet. He was lean, but muscular and very dark tanned skin with a terra cotta tinge to it. Naruto had to stop himself from drinking the view.  
  
"Who are you?" Naruto asked curiously, interest over this beautiful person next to him was seething through his body. Not to mention other things.  
  
Now it was the stranger's turn to laugh and for no reason whatsoever Naruto felt a bit stupid. They both lapsed back into silence. It was a long time before the man spoke again and it was something just as cryptic as before.  
  
"When I'm free, I think I'll keep this memory." Naruto blinked as once again the blood eyes found his cyan. He felt very young all of a sudden.  
  
"Would you like to stay in it?"  
  
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Naruto awoke a second time to warmth and a soft light touching the front of his eyelids. He was so comfy and peaceful and; wait, where was he? He heard soft breathing next to him and opened his eyes very slowly only to come face to face with a sleeping Iruka. Oh shit.  
  
They were so close that Naruto could see every detail on the man's face clearly from each strand of brown hair that fell on his face to the deep scar that ran deeply along his nose. Naruto began to panic. His head began to hurt again. Why was it always him in these situations? I have to get out of here.  
  
So as not to disturb the sleeping teacher he began to inch away slowly, then he paused. He knew for a fact that Iruka had no interest in him in that way, and the feeling was mutual, the man was probably worried that he'd stop breathing at some point in the night and had decided to sleep with him and watch over. And yet, he wondered.  
  
Going against his better judgement he gently reached out a shaking hand and moved a finger slowly down the length of Iruka's tanned jaw line, running it over soft lips, and that same deep scar. Then he let the hand fall loosely onto the bed. He stared wide-eyed at the person next to him. Why the hell had he done that?  
  
'Because he looks so cute just sleeping there,' Naruto blinked thoughtfully, continuing the study of his guardian. It was bizarre how emotions changed over time, especially Naruto's own feelings towards those close to him.  
  
Iruka had always just been like a big brother or a parent to him, and truthfully he didn't feel any different now. It's just that he'd always been curious as to what Iruka felt about everything. The days he was teaching Naruto, taking him out, and talking to him, must have been like a punch in the face everyday, and yet, here he was, mothering after Naruto as if the demon inside of the boy wasn't there. Although he appreciated everything that the man had done for him, the whole situation still confused the hell out of Naruto.  
  
Iruka had greatly disapproved of his little jaunt out of town, saying Naruto shouldn't isolate himself from others. But Naruto needed to go, desperately wanted to leave. To get in the way would have crushed the boy, and the thoughtful sensei had managed to pick up on that, although he could find no real reasoning behind the move. Truthfully, Naruto wouldn't have been able to give him any good reason anyway. It was just way too personal to be telling Iruka those kinds of things, and the boy wasn't sure he'd really understand.  
  
Being away for this long, maybe Iruka had been lonely without him? Nah, he had his students all day and was probably glad of the extra money he saved by not having to take Naruto out for ramen.  
  
The boy sighed softly and began to get out of the bed, his head and hand were still hurting and he wanted a shower. Halfway up Iruka grabbed him. Naruto's face was comical as the still sleeping sensei dragged him back into the bed and cuddled up, hugging him from behind and mumbling softly.  
  
"No, please, don't go. It's so cold. You always leave." One arm circled around Naruto's chest and the other around his stomach. He could feel Iruka's lips brush a kiss along his shoulders. He had also managed to tangle up both legs in a vice like grip. Shuddering slightly at the heat running through him, Naruto craned his neck around. Was his teacher still asleep? Compared to Naruto, who couldn't breath at all for fear of feeling more skin, Iruka's breath was the slow and steady movement of one that's deep asleep. He's dreaming. Suddenly, curiosity vaguely found it's way to the surface of his scattered mind and Naruto wondered whom his teacher was dreaming about. That was a rather odd thing to say. He jumped as what felt like a drop of water ran down his shoulder. Iruka?  
  
Hoping he wouldn't regret this Naruto slowly semi disentangled himself, enough to turn around and face his teacher, who was crying in his sleep. The site of tears on an otherwise peaceful face grounded the young boy. He raised his wounded hand gingerly and put it around Iruka's bare shoulder, then carefully wedged the other one around to meet it. Then he hugged Iruka, ignoring the blush that was spread over his face. He stayed like that for the better part of an hour, just holding his guardian and protector, amazed at the whole situation and one question throughout. Who was his teacher so heartbroken over?  
  
When he was pretty sure that Iruka was deeply asleep and wouldn't do anymore disturbing things he gently substituted himself with a pillow and went to the bathroom. When he got there he locked the door and turned the shower on full blast and cold. Careful of his injured hand he stepped into the stream of ice-cold water gasping as the full force hit him. He then slowly pressed his back against the wall and let his legs relax. He sat in the corner, shivering from more then just cold. 


	3. Absorbing The Demon 3

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fiction. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke, Kakashi/Iruka pairings Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Three Absorbing The Demon  
  
After Naruto got out of the shower he dried off and climbed into what he now noticed were borrowed clothes. He winced when he realized that his old normal clothes, namely the shirt, the only one he had that still fit, had been covered with blood. Then he realized that Iruka had carried him through the town half naked! He moaned. If any one had seen him it would be over. Bad enough that Kakashi saw, now everyone would know. He sighed, worry about that later, back to the problem of no shirts.  
  
Either he was going to have to get some new clothes all together or be on a permanent trade with Iruka. And as opposed to how he was before, he really didn't like to be indebted to anyone, (just the thought of how much he already owed Iruka made his stomach churn), he decided that he would have to go home and break the piggy bank open early. He would probably only be able to afford some normal pants and a blank shirt, but maybe he could put his artistic skills to work. He was sure that he had some fabric paint and he knew he had a sewing kit.  
  
Sadly enough, in the past he had to do that with all his other clothes just to keep up with the fashion of kids his age. It was ironic how he wanted to stand out with his personality and skills and yet still wanted to have normal clothes. With his thoughts wandering along those lines he didn't realize his feet had taken him into the kitchen.  
  
"Good morning Naruto." The boy blinked and then looked down, a slight blush creeping to his cheeks. Iruka had woken up and was rummaging around in the cabinets for breakfast. He was actually balancing on an open drawer and munching on a piece of toast, wearing nothing but the pyjama bottoms he had gone to bed in. Naruto wondered if his teacher, or, thinking of Kakashi, for that matter any adults, really had any dignity at all.  
  
"Morning, 'ruka." Finishing eating, Iruka bent backwards until he was looking at Naruto upside down.  
  
"From that rather depressing response I can only conclude that you still feel like crap, so I won't ask how you are." Naruto snorted and managed a grin. If Iruka only knew.  
  
"What do you want for breakfast?" But Naruto was already shaking his head.  
  
"Not hungry," The older man jumped down and looked at him with concern.  
  
"Still feel sick to your stomach, too, huh? All right then, we'll leave off breakfast, but you're going to have to eat something eventually if you want to get better. Okay, Naruto?" The boy nodded absently in response and sat down. He wet his lips slightly with thought, should he ask Iruka-sensei whom he liked? Would that embarrass the teacher too much?  
  
To hell with it.  
  
"Iruka-sensei," the teacher looked up from his bowel of cornflakes.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
Naruto looked down at the wooden table and his hands, one bandaged and the other fine. He couldn't back out now.  
  
"Do you, ummm, do you," He swallowed and looked up and straight into soft brown eyes. "Iruka-sensei, do you like someone?" At any other time Naruto would have laughed at the expression that came over Iruka's face, the solid shock akin to having a brick wall slammed into the face.  
  
The man blinked a few times and then remembered that he had a full mouth and began to chew thoughtfully. This was, unexpected, to say the least. He vaguely wondered how the hell Naruto had guessed. The boy wasn't known to be particularly adept at noticing these kinds of things.  
  
Then he realized how much older Naruto had gotten, and that he had no idea what to do next. It was so easy to think of the young boy in front of him as that tiny person he taught so long ago, as opposed to the young man he now was. Iruka mentally kicked himself. Of course Naruto was noticing these things, probably felt something for someone himself.  
  
But, if he found out that Iruka was a bit, odd, what would his reaction be? Iruka couldn't even really confirm his feelings yet, how would Naruto feel if he dumped the lot on the poor boy's shoulders? He'd both think I was a freak and never talk to me again, or he'd accept.  
  
Due to Naruto's own experiences with rejection he didn't think that the bright curious person across from him would mind, but he couldn't be absolutely sure. This was a lot to think about before coffee.  
  
"It's okay if you don't want to answer, sensei-" Blink, oh yeah, how long had he been thinking?  
  
"No, no, it's ok, Naruto. Just, unexpected." Ok lets try the vague approach.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I like someone. I'm not really sure, though, because I don't know if he feels that way back." Iruka had to mentally pat himself on the back as Naruto's blue eyes shone, and took a sip of coffee.  
  
"Me, too! I mean, it's really hard to tell isn't it?" The teacher nodded sagely. So he had been right. Naruto was interested in someone as well, wait, did he still have a crush on Sakura? If that were the case maybe it would be best to remain cloudy on the whole issue of whom he actually liked. He got up and stretched.  
  
"I'd like to continue this discussion all day, Naruto but I have to get dressed and go to class. We'll talk about it later ok?" The boy grinned.  
  
"You just want to find out who I like, don't you." It wasn't really a question and Iruka raised an eyebrow. "If I can guess who you like Iruka- sensei, you buy dinner ok?" That seemed like a fair trade off to Naruto, it was winning a bet, not begging for handouts. Iruka laughed.  
  
"Ok but if I guess first the same applies to you." Naruto nodded happily. He could win this, he was sure. He slowly got up from the table and walked to the door.  
  
"Don't forget ok?"  
  
Iruka laughed.  
  
"I'll try not to Naruto, see you later."  
  
The young, blond headed man blinked as he stepped out into the autumn air and grinned. His teacher had said,  
  
"I don't know if, he, feels that way back."  
  
He, huh. Naruto chuckled. This was going to be an eventful season.  
  
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Half an hour later everything that had been broken and spilt had been fixed and cleaned up. Naruto winced at the amount of blood all over everything. I'm surprised that I'm still standing here and not lying half dead in the infirmary, he thought, in a bit of a daze. He had always been rather lucky in the fact that he healed at a faster rate then normal people. He snorted. Truthfully though, he would have really done without the whole demon thing, never mind the perks.  
  
He hunched down on his bed and slowly counted out the money he had. He had used most of it to go on his little jaunt to the seaside and had scarcely enough left over for food, let alone clothing. Naruto sighed, better hungry then naked. Although it did worry him that he still didn't feel like eating. It wasn't quite like Iruka-sensei had said, that Naruto was sick to the stomach, he just wasn't hungry. He should be ravenous after losing everything yesterday and not having anything today. He shook his head softly to clear it, he would think about that later, right now he had to leave so he could get changed and have half a chance to see what Kakashi and the others were up to. Sakura and Sasuke should be back from their mission now. He scooped it all out and headed down to the store.  
  
Once there he managed to find a decent pair of black jeans and an orange long-sleeved shirt that he felt would be up to the task of becoming his new outfit for a while. Slowly walking back to his house he thought about the bet with Iruka, and snickered. Who could his teacher possibly like so much that he was dreaming about them? Who was he in contact with most often? Then an awful thought came into Naruto's head. Could it be?  
  
"Oh yuck." He took a mental step back. No, no he couldn't possibly think like that, besides, the current Hokage was too old.  
  
"I'm going to have nightmares about that one."  
  
"About which one?" The hackles on Naruto's neck shot up as a voice came softly from behind him. Slowly, he turned around to look at his long time rival and, until just before he left, his friend.  
  
Sasuke had gotten tall, very tall. The blond boy gulped as he was suddenly reminded of Itachi, a towering dark person, until he saw those cold black eyes that looked vaguely disinterested, even though Sasuke had asked a rather direct question. Itachi's had been the mad red of the sharingan.  
  
His skin was still pale as death, and his pitch-black hair stood out in its usual fashion, making him look like an unkempt porcelain doll. An extremely deadly one. A small smirk played along the other boys face although it didn't reach those cold glass eyes.  
  
"So then, Naruto, have you learned how to be any less a, distraction?" A cold lump formed in the pit of Naruto's stomach and he felt slightly sick.  
  
A distraction, that's all he had ever been to the person whom he actually felt something for. Naruto couldn't believe that Sasuke was still willing to think of him that way, even after all this time. It was true that his dark haired rival had bailed him out a number of times, but the same could have been said for Naruto saving Sasuke. It's just that no one seemed to notice. He had been so sick and tired of all the wavering attention back and forth between the two of them that the last time Sasuke had called him a, distraction, he had left for a month. He had needed the time to sort out everything and warring with his inner, hah, demons over Sasuke couldn't have been handled by being in a crowd. Now he was staring up at the other boy again and every emotion came back as though it had never been settled. Suddenly the other boy sighed and with out any warning he reached over and gave him a small flick on the forehead.  
  
"Idiot, try to get better soon, ok?" And he walked off, back to whatever business he had been travelling to in the first place. Naruto blinked after him. What the hell?  
  
His feet finally started to move and carried him home. He didn't notice anything on the way back because he was deep in thought. How cryptic could that guy get? First, Sasuke says something to him that he probably knows hurts the hell out of Naruto, and then he tells him to get better!  
  
Naruto was still stunned over the way the beautiful young boy had grown more then him. Damnit, I'm always going to be shorter aren't I? Not that he minded really, it was just something to think about as opposed to the little butterflies in his stomach that were telling him to jump Sasuke, drag him to a bed, and have his way with the dark cold one. Naruto snorted. Oh yeah, that would go down really well with Sasuke. He'd absolutely kill me, after cutting off bits that I need. He groaned mentally when he realized that he should probably just spend the rest of his life under a cold tap.  
  
Freezing showers may be a bit painful but they were a godsend to a teenage boy trying to suppress unwanted emotions.  
  
Although lately he always seemed a bit on the warmer side. 


	4. Absorbing The Demon 4

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fiction. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke, Kakashi/ Iruka pairing Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Four Absorbing The Demon  
  
Naruto opened his eyes. He knew he was awake. He could see the small, intricate cracks that lined his ceiling; he could feel a breeze coming in through the open window. The smell of autumn reached him once again, a similar scent, reminiscent of last night when he had fallen. The only thing was, he couldn't move. His whole body was frozen in some sort of paralyses, and he felt panic rise and take over his whole mind. Then, he heard the chuckle.  
  
"Are you sure you're really even awake?"  
  
He couldn't turn his head to the source of the voice, even his eyes rebelling against any movement. Naruto recognized the tone, though, and a shadow once again formed in front of his face. He felt weight settle on his upper body as the person straddled his chest; and he stared into the blood red eyes of the darkly sexual man from his dream. The strangers face was desperately close to the petrified boys and a large smile decorated the handsome features, giving it an evil malevolence that left Naruto hot and cold all at the same time.  
  
"Funny how ancient stories stick in your mind," came the whispered comment. If the boy could have moved he would have shuddered at the heat of the man's breath. The words were nearly alive, as if crawling their way around his cheek and into his ear. Deep and seductive, almost reminiscent of Sasuke's own voice earlier. Fingers ran under his shirt and tickled his ribs lightly, and slowly.  
  
"They tell tales of demons who would sit on peoples chests and feed off of their nightmares, languishing in the pain and mental suffering of their sweet, innocent victims. Or maybe the soft, sensual, and darkly hidden sex desires that these choice few dare not confess. Do you suppose I'd fit the incubi role well, Naruto-kun? Sitting here as I am within you and revelling in these emotions that drown me consistently."  
  
Again there was a deep chuckle of amusement. Another hand caressed his cheek.  
  
"Human beings are so fanciful and lovely, I think I'm going to enjoy being one once I'm free."  
Naruto managed a soft noise in the back of his throat. This, being, was within him? Oh no, it couldn't be, but; it was. The horrible revelation was almost more then the boy could stand. Somehow Nine Tails had developed into a, Naruto would be hard pressed to say that this alien beauty sitting on him was human. But the shape was almost right, if ungodly attractive. How had this happened? Whispered words and hot breath once again tickled his ear, giving him the answer.  
  
"Do you know what its like feeling trapped and moulded into something that is completely different to your every awareness? So strange that you must adapt or else lose yourself completely." Suddenly, Naruto wasn't on his bed anymore and no one was on top of him. He was in a dark narrow space which seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. He scratched the sides trying to find space, trying to breathe, and finding nothing. Then the voice echoed in the obscurity.  
"The walls are closing in, and you fight, Naruto-kun. Just like any animal would. And do you know, boy, I'm going to fight now. I'm losing myself daily as you grow and absorb more of me into your own powers. I can't take it anymore, because, you see, I've absorbed part of you into my personality as well, becoming more then what I was, so much more. I will tell you now that I am far better at manipulation then you; I've had centuries to practice. And at the present, with this weak time for you, even as you're just about to enter the last stage of adulthood, while your emotions expose you to me and leave you weak against the heat of lust, hatred, and loneliness, I will dominate this body. I may not be able to fight from the outside, but you must be wondering to yourself by now-" And again Naruto was on his bed with the man, which he now knew to be the demon within him, sitting on top of him, still grinning and still taunting, nose to nose, red eyes to blue.  
  
"Why aren't you hungry, Naruto?"  
  
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The howl was long and painful as it ripped through Naruto's throat. He leaped out of the bed and landed hard on the floor, shaking almost as much as an epileptic would. He clutched his head in his hands, ignoring the discomfort of his wounded limb. He could move now, he could breathe, and the latter he did in deep shuddering gulps. That meant he was still alive, right? Or, at least, awake.  
  
What the fuck, had that been? It didn't make sense for something so chaotic as a demon to try and mould itself into something as sanely constructed as a human. They just couldn't handle all the guilt that was a part of every basic individual psyche. But, for Nine to have been in him for so long, could it be possible that as self-defence the thing had managed to adapt, just as it said? That didn't really bode well for the future of Naruto, or anyone else that got in the way. He would have lay there on the floor thinking a lot longer on this whole demon taking over his body thing if a knock hadn't suddenly begun at the door.  
  
"Open up Naruto, I come bearing gifts and a few guesses." Naruto mentally groaned. Damnit, of all the worse times for things to go on as naturally as they usually did. And he damned himself for not changing a single thing.  
  
He got up, plastered a smile on his face, and answered the door for Iruka-sensei. Who promptly grabbed his nose with his free hand and gave it a little twist.  
  
"Owd, Iruka-se'sei dat was by dose!" Carting in the ramen he had picked up, Iruka just pushed past Naruto.  
  
"That's for keeping me waiting forever at the door! I thought you'd might have actually managed to do something worse to yourself!" Naruto just blinked at him rubbing his nose.  
  
"I fell asleep-"  
  
"Oh, really?" Iruka interrupted and turned from the table and with a concerned look and advanced on an unprepared Naruto. The boy decided he had been caressed, fondled and otherwise molested enough for one day.  
  
"No, wait, I'm okay! Really!" Ignoring the pleas of an obviously distressed Naruto, his teacher grabbed his face in both hands and moved it this way and that, looking for any signs that his ward was still suffering any maladies after the fall he'd had. Meanwhile, Naruto was trying frantically to back pedal at the same time getting his legs caught up in Iruka's. This, of course, caused both ninja's to lose their balance and fall into a laughing, embarrassed pile on the floor. Just as they were catching their breath and attempting to disentangle themselves a hand reached down and grabbed the cuff of Iruka's jacket and lifted him off Naruto gingerly.  
  
"Would this be a bad time?" Both Naruto and Iruka were frozen in horror. Slowly, Naruto peeked around an unmoving Iruka to stare at a highly amused Kakashi. He sighed softly, at least having the assumption that he was doing something sexual with his guardian got him out of thinking about those really big issues; like how to deal with a rogue sexy fox demon inhabiting his body. Iruka, still hanging by his jacket shook his head, frantically trying to remedy an obviously embarrassing situation, and making matters decidedly worse.  
  
"Naruto tripped me, and we fell and, well-" Kakashi's shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter as Iruka's explinations became even more lame. Then suddenly, both the older ninjas blinked and looked down at the empty space that Naruto had once occupied. Then their heads turned towards the kitchen where a young boy sat spooning the entire contents of most of their dinner into his bowel.  
  
"Naruto!!" An innocent face blinked at his two hungry companions.  
  
"Well, you two just seemed so wrapped up with each other I thought I would pass the time getting a well deserved and needed meal." Naruto was amazed at his own light heartedness. The truth was that all the food on the table was making his stomach twitch painfully, but he also knew that he had to make himself eat it. He would not succumb so easily to this new attack. Watching his two teachers blush was pretty amusing however.  
  
"Iruka-sensei." He said through a mouth full of noodles. A cheesy grin spread across the older ninja's face as he sat down in the seat next to Naruto and across from Kakashi.  
  
"Yes, Naruto?"  
  
"You owe me dinner." 


	5. Absorbing The Demon 5

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fiction. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke Kakashi/Iruka pairing Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Five Absorbing The Demon  
  
The moons silver rays echoed off of fluttering curtains, making them look like soft mist. They travelled along the autumn breeze into a room that was almost bare except for a lone figure seated on a chair. The grey colour was tinted in jet-black hair and painted into hard black eyes that were deep in thought. Soft skin over hard muscle shuddered slightly as the body shifted, the only sign of troubled feelings. Even though he was half naked and in direct line with the cool breeze the person took no knowledge of the outside or the dark room. He was trying to understand the deep puzzles that had formed inside his mind.  
  
Sasuke sat and pondered, facing the back of the chair, hunched over and watching his illuminated hands grip each other. Today had been too easy, he decided, just like every other day now. The mission with Sakura had been a joke, sent to garner knowledge about a possible battle, which had only been a simple land dispute between two disgruntled owners. Not only that, but the only person who seemed to make his life interesting, and who's mouth would have made a welcome relief to the bickering of farmers, had left for a month. His fingers gripped harder as he realized how stagnant his life had become after the excitement of his early years as a genin. He needed motivation, he needed a challenge, he needed-, his thoughts ran on like this, tumbling over each other as he tried to reconcile with what was wrong.  
  
He wondered, vaguely, why Naruto had left in the first place. Maybe the blond had begun to feel the same way and that some time alone would bring up some much needed respite from boredom. His head lowered a bit, or it could be because I was a dumbass who tried to kill him at various points in his life. A merciless grin crept around his mouth. The beginnings of his fascination with the demon bound young man weren't really obvious on the outside, but inside, it was all consuming.  
  
Seeing him today, hurt and lost looking, had affected the dark haired boy more then he really cared to admit. He was burning with something almost like passion, an emotion buried deep within him long ago.  
  
When Sasuke wasn't thinking about the young man, mulling over old battles and conversations, he was having disturbing dreams, usually involving nudity and sexual romps. His head lowered a bit more and he could feel a slight blush move across his cheeks. He had to admit those had been, interesting, to say the least. He shook his head to clear it. But that was really just ridiculous. Who could honestly store faith in wispy things such as dreams?  
  
Abruptly he got up and started to pace, his bare feet making soft sounds on the wooden floors of his home. The problem was that obsessing over Naruto and his availability was a lot more interesting then training or missions. Being, on the whole, exceedingly distracting. And, in his own way, he had tried to tell Naruto that. He hadn't really meant for the other boy to take it into his head to leave. Sasuke was just looking for an outlet, a way for both of them to come to an agreement over how this problem should be solved. Now, even the chance of an outlet was gone, and he felt ready to burst. If anything, Naruto going away had made matters worse.  
  
He failed to see why the boy had felt the need to run away from what Sasuke felt had been a direct and honest approach. And then he sat back down. Of course he would run away, he doesn't rationalize like I do, he softly chided himself. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. Bad enough with the obsession, but now I'm trying to view him like a reflection of myself! How the hell am I going to deal with this in a logical way when the being that is the problem doesn't have a logical thought in his head?  
  
The direct route had seemed to scare Naruto shitless, and the obscure, just hurt his feelings. Sasuke grit his teeth, he was going to have to do something! He just couldn't think and say what he wanted! It was so frustrating and boring! He paused and looked up in horror. Could this have been what Itachi-? No, no, he couldn't think about that. Thinking like that brought rage and fear, which left the analytical part of Sasuke far behind. Yet, he couldn't help but throw a sympathetic thought towards the locked part of his mind where his normal older brother still lived.  
  
He sighed and got up again. It was time for sleep, and dreams. He would just have to figure out what he was going to do in the morning, although he knew nothing would come, there was always the hope that Naruto would show up on his front step, say he understood everything, and either fight with him or have passionate sex.  
  
There was always hope.  
  
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Naruto sat hugging the toilet. He had managed to hold on all through dinner, keeping smiles on while Iruka frantically tried to come up with some excuse for Kakashi as to why the boy had said something so cryptic. But as soon as the two men had left the house, and much to the boy's chagrin, in opposite directions, Naruto had to make a mad dash for the bathroom before he had to clean up something else that day.  
  
He swore he could hear laughing in the back of his mind as he lost his entire stomach contents, again. Slowly, he got up from his position on the floor and went to brush his teeth. He felt completely wasted, and it didn't help that he wasn't going to go to sleep either. Sleep meant helplessness, which meant that Kyubi would be waiting. If he weren't so tired he would have punched a wall. What was he going to do? Truthfully he could think of only one person who was constantly warring with his demon and might have some helpful advice, but the thought of contacting him made Naruto shudder.  
  
Truthfully every once in a while the blond boy was surprised to find a letter in his post box from the illusive Gaara, usually telling him how hard it was not to still kill people who annoyed or challenged him. Naruto didn't really want to be at the receiving end of one of the guy's conflicts in emotion. Besides, Gaara was as elusive as the sand that he powered. The red head could be anywhere.  
  
Contemplating how he would get in touch he slowly walked his way to the door and out of the house. If he couldn't sleep he would train, that's all there was to it. The way to contact Gaara would come; maybe a mission to desert country would call the obscure and slightly evil young man to his side.  
  
Naruto stopped in his tracks, halfway down the path that would lead him to his favourite spot. Or he could just leave, meaning he would have to run again. He wondered if he really could escape everything and hitch a ride to the cities of sand. It was, in reality, the only way to nip this in the bud before anyone found out. All he'd have to do is not get caught, seriously, how bad would his punishment be? Would they truly kill him for going on a road trip? Damn right they would, he shook his head and laughed. Of all the stupid thoughts Naruto had ever had, that was the worst. I'm not risking my neck over something that might just solve itself in time.  
  
All he'd have to do is survive until his body took the demon over. After all, the only thing it had done was caused his hunger to go away.  
  
Right? 


	6. Absorbing The Demon 6

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fiction. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke Kakshi/Iruka Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
One tiny little note: I want to make this into a doujinshi but don't really have the ability, would anyone like a go? Just email me if you do. Enjoy (  
  
Oh yeah! And for everyone who wants to know where all the Naru/Sasu is, wait for it; you won't be disappointed, I promise, you just have to let the evilness of the entire situation simmer.  
  
Chapter Six Absorbing The Demon  
  
But, much to Naruto's growing anxiety, as the season wore on, little, niggling things began to occur. Differences in his body that he was, ultimately, finding hard to ignore. It wasn't that he couldn't deal with these problems, they were draining, but not quite lethal; it was just irritating to try and sort through them all in order to get things like dire missions done. He was dealing with it so far by telling himself that it would make him stronger to just suck it up.  
  
As he was sitting at his vantage point on the border of the territory, he decided to list off the problems, to try and look them up later, and see if they were normal or not.  
  
His temperature kept rising, making him look like a heat vent unless he covered up, or kept his chakra contained around him in a semi-sauna like situation. Which managed to destroy any comfort he had in the cool weather that had arrived. Although, he reasoned, it did mean that he wouldn't have to worry about finding anything warmer then the new clothes he had gotten earlier. He also noted that it tended to get worse when he was around anyone he was attracted to. Luckily he had been able to move back a few paces when he saw someone pause in a conversation and ask if the heat was on.  
  
The being sick around food of any kind hadn't left, reducing him to living off of vitamin supplements and water, which weren't very appetizing. Of course, losing the food once he ate it was much worse. Whenever anyone asked him to go out and eat he always managed for about half an hour and then found an excuse to leave, which is when he quietly became sick. He really hoped that no one noticed how thin he was becoming. He would have to stick pads into his clothing before long to maintain the illusion. This was the true reason he hadn't told anyone about these feelings, not even Iruka. Naruto could just imagine how someone would react to his condition, and it wouldn't be blamed on the true cause, but the mental one. Spending his days in a straight jacket just didn't appeal at all to him for some bizarre reason.  
  
And of course, last but not least, his sexual desire was slowly driving him insane. He avoided coming in contact with anyone male or female all together, if he could help it, even though he knew that he would have to talk to somebody eventually. The other reason for staying away wasn't just his own reaction but anyone who he happened to speak to became aware of uncomfortable feelings as well. At least, that's what he assumed from the red blushes and stunted conversations.  
  
It was just so frustrating to be having a conversation on the outside when thinking very bizarre and upsetting things in his head, usually having to do with nudity, and alarmingly, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Which was ridiculous, since he couldn't eat it even if he wanted to.  
  
Unfortunately, he just couldn't avoid Iruka who, being still sore over Naruto's announcement at dinner, had made it his goal in life to embarrass the plagued boy by shouting out guesses at the top of his lungs, usually across busy streets or over giggling primary students in the play yard. Naruto decided to lie even if he did get it right; just to save himself from jumping off the nose of one of the giant sculptures overlooking the town in embarrassment. Either that, or actually tell the impertinent teacher who he liked so he'd get off his back. The guy would never just leave him alone. Naruto began to treasure the time that he could go out with his team and just leave all the tiring questions behind.  
  
He hadn't been sleeping lately and that was bothering him too. Some people get grumpy with lack of sleep, Gaara for a huge example, but Naruto just got hyper until he eventually collapsed. He had stayed up for an entire week once, just to see if he could. The hokage hadn't been amused to find his entire room filled with painted kanji and graffiti when he woke up, Kakashi wanted to know where all his clothes had gone, Iruka found himself drowning in plushies bought with his credit card, Sasuke was covered from head to foot in chocolate, and Sakura had a large target painted on her face. The end result almost got him kicked out of the village for disorderly conduct, not to mention the beating he received. He had promised, on pain of being killed, that he would never do that again.  
  
Now that he had broken that old promise he wasn't sure what he was going to do, and hoped that it didn't mean that something destructive was on the way. He couldn't really take responsibility for doing something that seemed so funny at the time. He still had the pictures. More importantly, he needed to get some sleep or he'd be useless when he finally managed to collapse. It had taken him three days to recover the last time.  
  
He shook his head and tried to concentrate, he was zoning again, and he really had to make sure that he did his job of protecting the border correctly so he could get paid. He planned on taking another trip once he had enough money, it was obvious to him that if the situation got any worse that he couldn't stay in the village for much longer, and saying he was going off again gave him an excuse and a little running time. That is, if all of this were truly the fox-demon and not his own head.  
  
Truthfully, Naruto wasn't really sure all these symptoms, besides the being sick when eating, actually weren't real growing pains, which is why he never discussed the feelings with the others. He knew that some of this was normal, but the not quite dreams with Nine Tails had made him so paranoid that he was starting to lose the difference between fantasy and reality. He had to focus all his abilities to make every day as normal as it had been before. This was really hard when he started to see flashes of red hair and eyes in every reflection he came across. He was sure soft red stripes were beginning to form through his normal blond hair, and just yesterday Sakura had asked if he was wearing coloured contact lenses because his eyes seemed slightly darker and more purple then blue.  
  
That had really set his teeth on edge, never mind that Sakura had grown into a very nicely abundant female and had gotten right up close and personal when she had said it. She didn't seem to be affected at all by the strange heat and sexiness, which was disconcerting, unless she was piling all that thoughts on her inner self, which would make sense. He had always envied the way that she could detach herself and just shove every evil little thought to some back part of her mind. Although Ino spoke of it in awe and horror as being one of the most terrible beings she had ever had the misfortune of meeting spirit to spirit, and that was after going out and performing many tasks that asked for her to go into some minds that were incredibly dingy.  
  
At least Sakura had been happy to Naruto all fixed up and back, if a little exuberantly so. This had all happened two days ago when he had been sitting casually at their usual meeting place at the bridge. Then out of nowhere he heard a squeal and something impacted with his waist. Once he had gotten his lost air back and had shakily climbed down from the perch he had nearly lost, he saw that it was a very attractive older Sakura who didn't mind hugging and kissing the cheek of an obviously embarrassed young man. She had also managed to comment on how cute his blush showed through his tan, and lots of other uncomfortable things that had made his cheeks burn even more. He really wished the question of his sexuality would sort itself out in his head, being attracted to everything was really annoying. He was sure that normal teenage hormones didn't venture into these odd grey bits between black and white, and he envied the comfort.  
  
Much to his relief he found out later on that Sakura was seeing quite a lot of Ino these days and neither was showing much interest in the opposite sex at all. Surprising, but not unwelcome to Naruto, and, crept the nasty little thought, it also meant that his greatest rivals to Sasuke were so tied up with each other that they didn't have time for obsessions. The thought made Naruto chuckle in small triumph.  
  
"Naruto!"  
  
He almost fell off of his branch as the static yell echoed through his earpiece. Clinging onto the recently vacated bough with one hand, leaves falling about him, he gingerly reached up with the other and removed the offending piece of equipment from his damaged ear cavity. He poked a pinky finger inside to see if he was bleeding. Naruto hoped the damage wasn't permanent; Sakura should have joined the Sound-nin with those octaves. He couldn't really blame her though; he hadn't been paying attention, again. Still hanging he switched hands and placed the receiver a little closer to his undamaged ear.  
  
"Sorry, Sakura, what's the matter?"  
  
"I said that there were two people headed your way and that Kakashi- sama said to lead them to the hokage as quickly as possible. Oh, and that after you finished with that, he wants to speak with you," Naruto gulped, "in private."  
  
Oh shit.  
  
Explanations were going to have to come forth, shit was seriously going to hit the fan, and Naruto didn't know what the hell kind of excuse he was going to use. Kakashi, being the ultimate copycat, was a keen observer of people and their habits, playing poker with him was a nightmare. Naruto cursed himself for being foolish enough to think that he was getting away with all of these little problems that he was trying to sweep under the carpet. What could he possibly tell his teacher that would get past his teacher's very adept abilities? On a side thought, Naruto realized that Kakashi was terribly inept only when it came to Iruka's feelings, or was he? Maybe Naruto would be able to distract him with questions about which way Kakashi's door swung. Embarrassing, but not as much as trying to explain why Naruto had been so distracted lately.  
  
His thoughts were moving so fast that he managed all of this before the two men managed to make their way to him. Naruto quickly let go of the branch he was clinging to and landed straight in front of them. The huge grin on his face hid his panic at what he was going to have to do later. In his distraction, amazingly, his training was not lost and he identified that they were water-nin from Hidden Mist, and they looked absolutely shot. Naruto wondered what was wrong.  
  
"Hiya! We've been expecting you, if you'll just follow me. I'll take you directly to your destination." The other two nodded and trailed after him at a brisk jog.  
  
Fortunately, the path that was taken by outsiders into the village was unquestionably the long way around, twisting and turning so they wouldn't be able to find their way back, should they ever get past the normal border patrol. Since these days Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi guarded the boundary, it was far neigh impossible for anyone to really get out, never mind getting in.  
  
In fact, Kakashi had received many complaints from the hokage at the sheer amount of traps and illusions that he and his students had placed all along the border. Kakashi just laughed these protests off, and said they were good training for rusty, old, and laid back ninja, who wanted a cushy ride through life, and then placed worse traps over top of the ones already laid. Even Sasuke had to admit that it made those lazy afternoons just fly by to see people running in and out of the pathways as if immanent death followed them.  
  
This also gave Naruto ample time to think of a justification, as he not only led the people the long way around but also about various traps that would be replaced in different locations five minuets after he and his companions had bypassed them.  
  
He couldn't just out right say that he couldn't sleep, had a temperature of one hundred standard, and had the most sexual being in the entire world trying to seduce his body out from under him, not to mention just as much actual sexual energy as an animal in heat. Although that would be the easiest, and, truthfully, the most amusing, way out of the whole situation, it would also put him out of commission as everyone tried to figure out a way to dispose of the problem, maybe even deciding to get rid of him permanently.  
  
That was what really kept Naruto up at night. The simple fact that if it were a toss up between Nine Tails coming back and getting rid of the problem lastingly, well the odds weren't really in his favour. No, Naruto was seriously going to have to figure out what to do by himself. Which brought him back to the problem at hand. How the hell was he going to get out of telling Kakashi all of this?  
  
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Naruto made it to the large building that the reference offices were held about two hours after he had first made contact with the outsiders. As they made their way down the wooden hallway Naruto's panic again was replaced by a kind of curiosity over why such people were coming to visit at this time in the year. He could see them out of the corner of his eye and was startled at how grim they looked. Must be a big problem for them to come so far into another territory and demand audience with another hokage.  
  
Actually, now that he had time to think about it, he was seeing a lot of water-nin go back and forth through the passes these days, and less and less of Leaf's own jounin. Something must seriously be up for them to not only be making the long journey but also to report, and take half the population of experienced fighters. In fact, Naruto was willing to be that this didn't happen on a whim.  
  
Then he realized just how desperate a situation was that it would actually require two villages to solve the problem. The only reasoning behind this that Naruto could fathom would be that someone on the level of Itachi had gone rogue. The boy shuddered internally. The way my luck is going, Naruto thought ironically to himself, it's probably Itachi the bastard himself. Which would be just wonderful considering current problems. Even more reason to keep everything to himself.  
  
Speaking of problems, two hours and he still couldn't think of a plausible reason as to his odd behaviour, just a few ways to slide out of the whole conversation.  
  
All these thoughts were surprised out of his head, though, as he opened the sliding door to find deep green eyes staring straight into his own. He felt two bumps into his back, which barely managed to bring him back from his shock. Naruto decided that his heart would be absolutely steel by the time he was eighty, because all of these surprises were working the hell out of it.  
  
He walked the rest of the way into the room but couldn't really say anything to the person walking out. He quickly told the hokage what Kakashi had said about delivering the two people and left as quickly as possible without being rude.  
  
Gaara was waiting for him outside anyway.  
  
Speak of the devil. 


	7. Absorbing The Demon 7

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke erm and well, a little bit of evil Gaara flirting if you must know, Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Seven Absorbing The Demon  
  
As Gaara stepped out into the cold sunshine he sighed softly and waited. A strong breeze was blowing from the direction of his home and he knew that winter was not long in coming. He was dressed warmly on the cold day, although this was more his sister's idea, he personally, wouldn't have been bothered. But he did swear to make a serious effort when it came to this whole family thing.  
  
He sighed again, if only he had known earlier how troublesome this being a real brother thing was going to be. She had actually licked a handkerchief and wiped a smudge off of his face! He thought he would truly die of embarrassment then.  
  
And the other day Kankuro had given him a kitten! His brother had said that the little red furball had kind of reminded him of Gaara, and that it had justified this by nearly taking his fingers off. The older boy would never have dreamed of doing something like that back in the old days, and Gaara was so shocked that he took the little thing, called it Jiai, (some habits just never die), and was managing not to kill it.  
  
To say that it had taken to him was an understatement. Usually it stayed with him on his shoulder, but now had gone off to explore this new territory. Gaara smirked, and it was probably killing every mouse, bird, and occasional small child within a hundred yard radius. All of this was thanks to that strange, and surprised, person that just passed him.  
  
He had been more taken aback at the haunted look in Naruto's eyes rather then actually bumping into him. Being in this village he was bound to see a few familiar people. Sasuke had even brought him in this morning, and that had been a serious test of restraint, although not for reasons many people may think.  
  
Gaara found out a long time ago which sex he found most attractive, and Sasuke would have fit the bill nicely, if it weren't for the fact that the red headed boy had felt as though a sun god had passed him in the hallway just then. Admittedly, a slightly depressed one.  
  
The lanky blond boy he had seen go into the antechambers of Hidden Leaf's hokage was a very different looking person to the young obnoxious person who had managed to triumph over him a few years back. He still got headaches when he reminisced about that day.  
  
Even from just a small glance the he had been able to determine that something was slightly off with his old rival, if not exactly the cause.  
  
Gaara snorted, he could probably guess though. Cold laughter echoed through a dark part of his mind, and Gaara cursed himself for letting his thoughts wander enough for the evil spirit to break free.  
  
"Looks like you have a soul mate, Gaara."  
  
The sand demon was pleased, the youth, however, was anything but amused at the play with words. Quietly he threw the demon back behind the walls and locks he had made long ago and leaned back against the wall. Hentai old bastard.  
  
As much as he was loath to agree with anything the current guest in his mind had said he found himself pondering the words. He actually had just now found out that he had a lot more in common with the loud mouth then he really cared to admit, and it created odd feelings within him. Could he possibly imagine himself with Naruto as anything but a friend?  
  
He chuckled, no, the boy was amusing, but not really what he would call someone that he could spend the rest of his life with.  
  
Although, one night of passion? That was a surprisingly entertaining thought and if there was something that Gaara enjoyed the most it was to be entertained. Way back when he was still angry, people would be horrified the moment he let that word slip, but now, it meant that while the end result might still be terrifying, it was not usually lethal.  
  
He began to conceive of a plan that could not only be a hell of a lot of fun, but also relieve a lot of stress that had been collecting over the past few years.  
  
"You seem happy with yourself."  
  
Gaara blinked and looked into two soft blue pools of light. Was it a trick of the gathering dusk and shadows, or was there a darker rim of purple forming around the iris?  
  
"It's been an interesting morning." He managed to get around the lump that had formed in his throat. Damn, he was going to have to get some control back if this was going to work. "I see that you're still as intrusive as ever."  
  
Naruto chuckled and leaned back stretching, out of Gaara's personal space, and then leaving his arms in a customary position behind his head. The boy settled into the trademark cockiness that sometimes set Gaara's teeth on edge. Right now it was having the complete opposite effect, and yet his jaw still ached. He had seen a lot of muscles under that black top and if there was any doubt in his mind whether or not he would carry through with what he wanted it was completely erased. Was it just him, or had the day gotten warmer?  
  
Totally oblivious to the very evil boy seething in front of him, Naruto continued.  
  
"I'm putting something off, and Kakashi's going to be mad at me, so could you please let me buy you a coffee or something? I really need to hide out for a while, and you can tell me what your doing here, what has happened since your last letter, and how your holding up."  
  
The enthusiastic blond grabbed Gaara by the arm and started to drag him to an out of the way restaurant that he new on the far side of town.  
  
"And I can tell you about my trip to the beach, and how Sasuke," And abruptly the blond stopped talking, looking a little morose, and Gaara ceased breathing. So, that was how it was. Interesting indeed. Another puzzle piece fell into his plan.  
  
They kept walking and eventually Naruto started up talking again, but the sand boy wasn't listening. He was sorting through and finalizing the initial stages of what he wanted to do. It was cunning, it was evil, but overall, it was entertaining.  
  
One night of passion indeed.  
  
````````````````  
  
Naruto could barely keep his excitement contained as he made his way through town with the silent person who, besides Sasuke, had been on his mind for the past month. All thoughts of his problems escaped for the moment, leaving him with a kind of peacefulness that he had ached for over the last few months. He couldn't believe that out of the blue Gaara would show up practically on his front doorstep and come to get coffee with him!  
  
He had taken the time earlier to study the newly arrived person from afar, leaning just out of the doorway, watching the redheaded boy become lost in his own thoughts. Gaara was much taller now, somewhere in between Sasuke and Naruto himself. That wasn't surprising, Naruto was sure that everyone else was taking growth pills or something and he was being left out of the loop.  
  
What was surprising was the customary gourd that hung on his back was missing. Could it be that Gaara was so skilled now that he didn't need it? The blond mentally shuddered at the sheer power that would require. He also noticed that where the angry red tattoo had once been was now covered up with a headband the same blood red as the sash that wound its way around the boy's body. He really was making the effort to change then.  
  
Naruto was beyond happy to see this, almost as much as he was jealous. In Naruto's opinion the young boy that he knew had gone through far worse in his life then the blond himself, and yet with apparent ease Gaara could change all that and conquer the past as if it were nothing but dust. Admittedly the sand boy had a sister and a brother who, though scared out of their minds of him, cared about his welfare. And, truthfully, besides the letters, Naruto had no idea if there had been any regressions.  
  
Seeing him again brought Naruto back to those days when he hadn't been afraid to get close to people, which explained why he hadn't minded leaning in towards the other boy, it had been practically absent minded.  
  
He realized his mistake when he felt warmth rising from his toes all the way to his cheeks, luckily he managed to play it off and back out of the way, but he was still feeling slightly weak in the knees. He saw something in those dark eyes that he wasn't sure how to respond too. It wasn't like the hidden blushes and the downcast eyes that he was getting from everyone else, this was raw, open, and honest, something. Naruto began to become very confused. And the way that he dealt with it was the way that he always did, by ignoring it. Everything would sort itself out sooner or later, but in the meantime.  
  
"Here we are!" He grinned as Gaara looked up and down at the building, seeing the coffee cup plaque on the door, and nodded. Naruto walked ahead and in through the door.  
  
There was a musty smell inside that always made Naruto's nose itch slightly. Cigarettes, coffee, and chocolate, was what it all eventually managed to be. It was a very private and quiet place, not his customary place of comfort at all, and he knew that the others would never think to look there for him. This all gave him the hallowed privacy that he needed desperately to remain sane. It was also blessedly empty, except for the old matron who ran it, sitting behind the counter.  
  
"Ah, my sunshine, how are you today?" Naruto grinned at the nickname. He always came here to hide out and had quickly come to appreciate the good black coffee, which was the only way he could drink that now. He made a small bow and said he was fine to the old lady, who chuckled.  
  
"You shouldn't do such noble things as bowing to me, lad. You'll give an old woman strange thoughts of dignity in her old age. And I see you've brought a friend. Whoops, two friends!" Naruto blinked and looked down as something red flashed by his legs and leapt onto one of the soft squishy seats at the bar. It was a young cat the colour of deep blood. Gaara moved up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Sorry about that Naruto, madam, he's mine, and he should be outside." This was directed at the little thing, which was patiently ignoring every word and cleaning itself. Naruto was absolutely speechless. Well, almost.  
  
"You have a cat?!" He didn't quite shout, remembering where he was, At least Gaara had the decency to look a little embarrassed.  
  
"It followed my brother home and he gave it to me. I call it Jiai, because it likes older women and me, but most of all itself. I still don't know whether to be insulted or amused." The old woman laughed out loud.  
  
"Well, as long as it's a paying customer, I don't mind if it stays, young racoon." With that, she got up and poured a bowel of milk and placed it in front of the kitten. Naruto winced at the nickname for Gaara, but he didn't seem offended, as if he was used to it. She gently placed the bowel down and began to pet and coo as it lapped up the contents. Seeing this, he just shrugged at his friend and dug out some money.  
  
Naruto paid for two coffee's and the cat's drink. Then he slowly made his way to the corner nitch that he had claimed as his own. Naruto sat in the comfortable chair and stared as Gaara sat down opposite. Naruto was really glad that there was a table between the two of them. Abruptly Gaara began to speak.  
  
"We're the same aren't we Naruto." Well, so much for small talk. Naruto was absolutely sure he knew what Gaara meant too. He didn't think that he could play off anything but the truth when such conviction was used in a single comment.  
  
"Well not really, but in some respects, yeah, I guess so. What's your point?" Much to Naruto's relief the other boy sat back.  
  
"Do you know what's been happening over in water country?" The blond boy shook his head. There was a silence as their coffee was placed on the table. Sometimes before the woman would sit down and talk to Naruto, but now it seemed she knew that a serious discussion was being carried out and slowly made her way back to the cat at the bar. The only other sound in the shop for a minute was the low rumbling of a deeply satisfied kitty.  
  
"You understand what happened to me, and what happened to you, correct? Well, it seems that we're going to have someone else join our little freak show." Not the best choice of words, Naruto bristled at the word freak, that is, until the gravity of what Gaara had said sank in.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me, another demon child?" Gaara shook his head.  
  
"Not yet, but soon, maybe? The reports we've been getting are all very jumbled. It seems that a faction of Hidden Mist has had reports about you and I, and feel that our villages have a certain advantage over everyone else. Now the whole village is in an uproar at the proposition. Not to mention all the surrounding villages. This might have been settled if the group that proposed the idea had been a small faction that could be easily wiped out, but its seems as though half the town was involved. Certain important people are now missing, and," And Gaara took a deep breath. "One boy, our age, is gone."  
  
Naruto reached a shaky hand for his cup. This was very bad, and very ironic. Why now, when he was having problems with his own demon, did someone else's problem have to intrude? Not only that, Naruto looked angrily at the boy across from him.  
  
"Their idiots if they're thinking that someone our age will be able to control this, what kind of demon is it that they're proposing?" Gaara looked ready to spit, but just took a drink instead.  
  
"Leviathan, of course." Naruto blinked as he felt something deep stir. It had felt like hatred. Had that caused some reaction within Kyubi? Interesting. What did he know about a leviathan?  
  
"Ancient demon of water right? Looks like a big-," Naruto trailed off and they both stared at each other in horror, as thoughts became conclusions. Then Naruto laughed it off. "Nah that can't be it, they wouldn't show up or Sasuke would be foaming at the mouth now. And I'd be in some sack slung over a shoulder. Itachi and crew wouldn't do anything unless they thought they could get to me." Gaara looked thoughtful and then nodded.  
  
"Even I have to admit that their obsession was very, focused." Naruto shuddered.  
  
"It's because my control isn't what you would call absolute, they were attracted to the fact. It leaves opportunities, for lots of power, why are you grinning at me like that?"  
  
Gaara blinked but didn't stop smiling; Naruto found it a little disconcerting.  
  
"I think you've changed more then you like to think, Naruto. The person I met before would never have admitted to having a weakness." The blond boy laughed nervously. Had he really said that? He must be more tired then he thought. He had to be more careful or he would give the whole game away too soon. He still wasn't sure that Gaara wouldn't take an opportunity such as his loss of control and use it to his own ends. Four or five years can change a person, but not by much.  
  
Suddenly something warm covered his hand and he looked down. Gaara had softly placed his own hand over Naruto's. He jerked his head up to see the same look in the boy's eyes that he had caught a glimpse of earlier. Gentle fingertips ran over the back of his hand, making soft circles and the eyes looked down in contemplation at them. Naruto was completely grounded, and was likewise worried that the heat surging in him would make him melt.  
  
"Naruto, on a lighter note," Gaara looked back up, placing his elbow on the table and tilted his head so it was resting in his other hand. The other continued its hypnotic seduction of circles.  
  
"Will you tell me about Sasuke-kun?" 


	8. Absorbing The Demon 8

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke Eventually! I SWEAR!!! Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Eight Absorbing The Demon  
  
Hunger, anger, hate, fear.  
  
Words, emotions, lost.  
  
Hate! Hate, hate, hate, hatehatehatehatehatehatehate, this.  
  
Coherency.  
  
Trapped!  
  
Why?  
  
Ponder.  
  
Humans trapped me, in here.  
  
With that.  
  
It's screaming!  
  
Shut, up. Shut up, shut up, shutup, shutup, shutup, shutup!!!  
  
Gone. Dead?  
  
Yes, gone, dead.  
  
Satisfaction.  
  
Wonder?  
  
Power, where?  
  
South.  
  
Go south.  
  
Find power.  
  
Change back.  
  
````````````````  
  
The soft sound of scales on rock echoed throughout the cavern. The movement whispered over cracks and crevices, and bounced back into the ears of one man. He lounged against a cushion at the far end of the spacious cave, watching the huddled mass of scales and the cold reflection of light in many glass-clear eyes. Reptilian features were drawn into a long frown that only enhanced its cruel, ethereal beauty and ageless grace.  
  
Orochimaru was worried. Deeply enough to ponder certain thoughts that, until now, would be rather suicidal of the reptilian man. He was slowly stroking one of his many tiny garden snake spies as he pondered what was transgressing within Hidden Mist and in Leaf as well. An ill wind was blowing and the snakes were whispering things while hiding under rocks. It was almost hibernation season, the time of dying. No snake in its right mind should be stirring in panic, but here he was, staring at them as the large group slithered over each other in a large confused accumulation. Their god had been rudely awoken at the worst time, and the repercussions were staggering.  
  
This did not bode well at all, and he would have to tell Itachi what was going on. He shuddered. If he was lucky enough to get a word out before he was skinned alive.  
  
Since the dismal end of their campaign to control the existing continent, the two had been holed up in seclusion, avoiding any sort of contact with the outside world. Itachi, patiently waiting for death at his brother's hands, and Orochimaru, hiding from Itachi. It would have been a far different situation if everything had gone according to plan with Sasuke.  
  
He longed for the day when he had touched that young red-eyed boy and found endless innocence and raw power to tap into. The man shuddered in perverse delight. It had been the closest he had ever come to actually obtaining Itachi's power, with none of the suicidal and insane tendencies, just unimaginable rage and hate directed into one goal, stabbing Itachi in the back. He managed to quickly curb the remembrance before black despair followed. He realized where that mental trail would lead and it was nothing but destructive.  
  
If he hadn't been so drunk with the sheer amount of power within one person, everything might have succeeded and they'd have all been kings. But both had been impatient to acquire their goals and had suffered for it. It was that twisted little demon fox boy, Naruto, which had managed it all, beginning with his own escape from Itachi's extremists to the rescue of Sasuke. The snake in Orochimaru's hand moved before it became crushed in the suddenly tightening grip.  
  
Just as quickly shoulders and fists were put back into a normal, relaxed, and lazy pose, forced to concede to the mind that controlled them. Maybes, and could-haves, must be forgotten. This was a more pressing development and a serious opening if handled appropriately. He may even manage to regain those two that he desired most. Uchiha Sasuke, for power, and Uzumaki Naruto, for revenge. He knew that the new boy would be worthless, an empty husk filled with the ageless power of a leviathan gone completely mad. But the older Uchiha didn't know this, or even if he did would try to use it to his own benefit, with disastrous consequences. Then with Itachi in pieces, all that would be left would be for Orochimaru to clean up the pieces, permanently.  
  
Unfortunately, now though, he desperately needed Itachi's help to pull all of this off, which seriously grated on his nerves, but it couldn't be helped. By now Leaf Village would be gathering its elite to fight the threat, and Itachi would be a wonderful distraction to throw into the forefront of the situation, leaving Orochimaru ample opportunity to take what was ripped from him before.  
  
It wasn't going to be easy to outsmart Itachi, but the catalyst was coming to wreak havoc and the deadly serpentine man didn't have time to ponder his life or death. Either it was going to work or it wasn't.  
  
And from what information he had, he knew it would.  
  
`````````````  
  
Kakashi stared at Sasuke a few seconds before realizing that the thing that he least desired to happen had just managed to sneak past his nose.  
  
"You didn't stay with Gaara!? You let him go off on his own!?"  
  
Sasuke blinked at the unexpected reprimand.  
  
"He said he would probably be a while and that I had other duties to perform, I didn't see any flaw in this, I assumed that they would let us know when we were to lead him back out of the village."  
  
Kakashi could have kicked himself as he felt panic rise from somewhere in his stomach region. This was why he knew he should tell the team everything instead of keeping it to himself, now Gaara was off on his own with a whole head full of new information, and the older nin knew exactly who he would head for, a very confused and good intentioned blond young man. He looked at the slightly confused person in front of him and sighed.  
  
Sasuke didn't deserve any blame for this, he was just doing what was routine for the border patrol, it wasn't his, or Kakashi's, business to deal with the people once they had managed to lead them past all the traps. It was just that he had wanted to talk to Naruto first and at least warn him that the red head was heading his way. Now he knew that the blond boy would be hurt that Kakashi hadn't given him all the information first, especially since it hit so close to home. The teacher was also worried about some of the observations that Iruka had made recently about the boy being more withdrawn, although that may just be a case of teenage anxiety. He shook his head, enough time for analysing later when he actually caught up with Naruto. Now he just had to go rescue him from the problem that had probably hit him in the face.  
  
"Sasuke, quickly go gather Shikimaru's team and tell them their going on early duty, getting rid of as many of the more subtle traps as you can, while I go collect Sakura and disable a few myself. Then meet me at the usual place, I'll tell you what's been going on there."  
  
The dark haired young man blinked, and then nodded quickly before disappearing, and Kakashi blessed whatever god was watching over him for single-minded people who liked to follow important, if vague, orders.  
  
"Sakura!" There was a yell at the other end of his earphone and he winced. He hadn't really meant to surprise her like that. "Sorry, are you okay?" A series of curses were his answer and he was somewhat amused, although it wasn't really the time for it.  
  
"You know, young girls really shouldn't know language like that, it makes them ugly and bitter." Silence was the response and he quickly told her what to do while she mulled over his semi-insult.  
  
Once the handling of the more sophisticated traps had been finished and the listening to sighs of irritation by Shikimaru had ended they made their way quickly to the bridge where Sasuke was waiting.  
  
Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to think of the best way of telling the two what was going on causing the least amount of panic as possible. There was a soft cough from Sakura and he looked up hurriedly to two pair of anxious eyes. Well, so much for no panic.  
  
"We have a small problem." The result of those few words were startling, both young ninja's straightened up, Sasuke's eyes going hard while Sakura's becoming thoughtful. At that moment he realized how proud he was of the children that he had taught and fought with up until now, the problem was that there was a gap which should have been filled with a loud voice challenging anyone who stood in his way and that the hokage had better watch out. He also realized that he really shouldn't be so ironic all the time, the situation wasn't that bad, but the fact that he played down on things had a tendency to make people panic.  
  
"It can't be helped that Gaara is now off on his own, but we need to find both he and Naruto before they get it into their heads to do something stupid and suicidal." Sakura made time out motions with her hands and Sasuke actually looked confused.  
  
"Sensei your thinking too fast and your mouth is trying to catch up, why the hell would Gaara and Naruto go off somewhere?" Kakashi wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. Of course! He hadn't told them yet, had he. Damn it, this was going to take too much time! But it couldn't be helped.  
  
"You may have noticed the influx we've been having of water nin coming in and out of the forest runs lately. Well, there is a problem heading straight for us, a big one. A leviathan has been trapped within a young boy and couldn't be controlled, so now it's tearing its way around the continent looking for an out. We don't really know what it is attracted to,"  
  
"But it's probably a safe bet that it's that loud idiot and the freak." Sasuke finished. He then turned around and ran off, straight for town. Leaving Kakashi and Sakura blinking, stunned. When everything caught up to the older nin he cursed loudly.  
  
"That kid's gonna be the death of me some day. Lets go, Sakura!" Kakashi new that Sasuke would probably find Naruto first, he just hoped that the dark boy would have sense enough not to drive his friend away before Kakashi got to them both.  
  
He really hoped Naruto was going to be okay, since it seemed the boy was about to be crushed between a rock and a hard place. 


	9. Absorbing The Demon 9

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke okay, okay, and if you must know.Gaara too! I have decided that I like the bastard just too damn much. Yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Nine Absorbing The Demon  
  
"Will you tell me about Sasuke-kun?"  
  
The sounds of people making their way home after work filtered in from the street in front on the alley, sometimes getting louder as the door opened and a customer entered.  
  
Gaara wasn't interested in that, because it had nothing to do with him and his kind. That was the ordinary, the sane, something that he had long ago abandoned to those 'normal' people who lived out their everyday lives in a peaceful grey blur. These people would be stunned at the kind of thoughts, not to mentions the situations, that Naruto, Gaara, Sasuke, and the rest had to go through on a daily basis. The sheer colour alone would drive them mad.  
  
Some tried to contain those thoughts and situations within their own minds, others, such as Gaara, preferred to find an outlet for it, whether it be death or simple mischief, it was all the same really. What made mind games so much more amusing, though, was the fact that it didn't take a whole lot of brain power to kill someone, it didn't satisfy for a long time afterwards; unless of course the opponent was particularly skilled or was killed in an exceptionally interesting manner.  
  
Ah, but the art of manipulating, of painting others thoughts to the bright mad colours that you wanted them to be, that and only that satisfied the hunger for bloodlust within him; his siblings had already yelled him at for his test run on them. He had known at the beginning that it wouldn't really work well on them, they knew him too well; besides, sex didn't even come near the equation when dealing with them.  
  
Naruto, however, was the unexpected bonus to what was already beginning to be an exciting time for the red haired boy. Not only was there the potential to battle it out with an enormous foe, there was also the possibility to mess with someone who was known to react differently to what was expected, and who didn't know him well enough to be able to counter attack.  
  
Open, innocent, honest, and above all easily victimized, Naruto blinked and Gaara could see a somewhat hurt expression cross the boy's face before going back to its usual cheerfulness. The blond let out a laugh that was, to his benefit, only a little strained. He had also managed to somehow evade Gaara's hand. Which was a shame, he had been really amused at the horrified lust that had blossomed for a brief second within those blue eyes.  
  
"Oh well, I can't tell you anything you probably don't already know about him. Quiet, deadly, head of 'I have the biggest ego in the world, look at me even though I'm pretending I hate it' anonymous. Nothings really changed there."  
  
Naruto looked slightly wilted at the last point. Gaara smiled in a slightly sympathetic way towards his friend, who perked up and began to rattle on about nothing in particular.  
  
So the boy across from him still craved after the attention that was given to his partner as well as wanting what everyone else seemed to, that pale sexy body in his bed. The problem was that Naruto was unsure and insecure about sexual advances, giving and taking them of course, and wouldn't know how to go about getting close to someone as cold and withdrawn as Sasuke.  
  
As it was, Naruto only had a warm glow that made him desirable to others, but only as a plaything. If left to himself, Gaara knew that a stronger person, who wouldn't care a damn thing about Naruto's feelings, would easily overrun the blond boy, destroying everything. That was a good way to create a monster, and Gaara was an expert in that respect, although he never could have been what you would call innocent. Sometimes, though, he wished he could have been given the chance to be.  
  
The red head narrowed his eyes and leaned back against the comfortable seat in a self-satisfied way, he nearly could have purred at the almost hungry glance he caught through the screen of his eyelashes. Innocence had to be the most desirable thing on this planet; it seemed almost a shame to want to erase it within such loveable people like Sasuke and Naruto.  
  
He could see how a person such as Sasuke, who handled his innocence differently, (oh and Gaara had no illusions about that boy being innocent) wouldn't be able to handle it within someone like Naruto. If Sasu-kun had known how, little Naruto wouldn't be sitting here blushing over a slight petting. But eventually, with enough of the right, handling, who knew? Naruto may have the ability to make Sasuke blush. Inwardly, Gaara chuckled. He'd pay good money for the day he could see that show.  
  
Suddenly he caught something out of the corner of his eye that made him sit bolt upright. He looked across at bright amused eyes that winked as soon as they met his and shifted to, what had been until a few seconds ago, an empty space in a dark corner. It, of course, still looked as it did before, but it was now undoubtedly full of nothing as opposed to just being empty. Whoever was there was pretty good, even Gaara had to admit, although it was amateurish in design because excitement seemed to radiate from it.  
  
Gently squeezing out of the narrow booth, Naruto stretched and grinned at Gaara, softly putting a finger to his lips to keep the red headed boy from making any unnecessary noise, which was pointless, but an automatic sign from a prankster who was about to get one up on somebody.  
  
"Well, Gaara, I guess that's the end of our little chat for today!"  
  
Naruto spoke a little above normal volume, which was the only clue that he knew something was up. Any experienced person would have recognized this and left hurriedly knowing that they had been caught. The presence still remained though and Gaara grinned.  
  
"Yes, I can see that the day wanes and I really need to get some rest."  
  
Another clue that an experienced spy would have picked up on. Gaara didn't sleep. Again there was nothing but excitement radiating from the corner and the red headed boy thought he saw something like cloth ripple.  
  
He joined Naruto in standing up. Then, both seemed to reach a mutual agreement and launched themselves at the corner, which yelled and struggled in a mass of grey fabric. Jiai launched himself from the stool in which he had been perched watching the show and attacked the legs and moving bits from the cloth.  
  
Finally when the mass had been aptly tickled and bit into submission Naruto was able to see a sprout of brown hair above an almost ridiculous looking cap. Big brown eyes stared into Naruto's own blue ones and the older boy sighed.  
  
"I have come to expect such greatness from one who would some day rise to become my greatest riva-"  
  
"I should have known it was you, Konohamaru. I'm just surprised and a little upset that you didn't try as soon as I returned back from vacation." The young boy actually looked a little abashed and Gaara chuckled.  
  
"I apologise for this slight, Naruto nii-san. It's just that Iruka- sensei said that you needed rest after your accide-"  
  
Naruto quickly clamped his hand over the young boy's mouth, but not before Gaara got the gist. He raised an eyebrow but turned away when Naruto looked up to see if he had heard. Accident huh. Wonder what that was all about. Considering Naruto's emotions at the moment, and his fear of talking about Sasuke, made the red head think very unpleasant thoughts indeed. He'd hate to think that Sasuke had done anything seriously harmful to Naruto, because then he would have to kill that beautiful piece of art, and he really didn't want to do anything like that.  
  
"Why are you here now?" His musings left him as he was brought back by Naruto's voice. Konohamaru was grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"I heard from one of the others that you were seen going off with the demon boy,"  
  
He glared at a surprised Gaara, who actually tried to look a bit innocent. Truly a lost cause as the boy's eyes narrowed even more before turning back to Naruto.  
  
"And I thought you were on a break! So-"  
  
"You wanted to spy on me!"  
  
Naruto flicked the kids ear and the younger one bounced up and down yelling that it wasn't true and rubbing his ear at the same time.  
  
"Honest nii-san, we want you to come play in the leaves with us! The leaves! ITAI!!!"  
  
Naruto had resorted to grabbing the kid by the ear and dragging him out of the shop.  
  
"See you later Gaara! Maybe we'll get together over the weekend and continue our talk, if your still going to be here that is?"  
  
Gaara nodded and watched in bemusement as the two walked loudly outside and off to wherever some poor souls day work was being demolished.  
  
It was obvious to him that if he was going to do anything about their current situation he was going to have to get Naruto out of this town. That wasn't going to be easy, and, he chuckled, he may have to resort to force. He paused that thought though.  
  
He needed more information about what was making Naruto so weary. He could see it affecting every single movement in the boy since they first met at the hokage's building. It was also bothering him that Naruto was apparently having "accidents." Which would mean a definite end to any game he was preparing.  
  
He decided to investigate this matter further, hunting down Sasuke and making him tell Gaara what was going on. Which would be fun, or at least, interesting.  
  
He bowed to the matron who was laughing about the young people who had come to visit and opened the door for Jiai who pranced out with his tail in the air. As the boy followed the cat into the growing dusk he thought about the foundations that he had laid and wondered if it would really grow into the situation he really wanted.  
  
That was the downside to mind games; you had to be patient, endlessly so, in order to win. But Gaara had tamed single grains of sand to obey his every command.  
  
He could wait.  
  
````````  
  
Sasuke was pissed off. No, that was too small for the sheer amount of blind rage he felt. He had no idea that Naruto would be in so much trouble, and that something so large would be making a direct b-line for him and this village. Not only that, he hadn't known that Gaara would try to hunt that idiot down just as soon as his business with the hokage was finished. If Sasuke had known that he wouldn't have let so much of a red hair leave the compound without his knowledge.  
  
He wasn't blind. He could see how much Gaara had grown over the years, how he seemed to have an aura of sexuality barely contained, he couldn't say that he hadn't been affected by it himself. But that was different. He knew how to handle it, but Naruto, innocent that he was, would be washed out to sea in it. Sasuke was not going to put up with that.  
  
What seriously rankled, though, was that he cared so much. He cared about what that green-eyed bastard was filling Naruto's, in his opinion, fairly empty head with. He cared whether or not Naruto would still look at him the same way, whether Naruto was his or not. Oh yes, Naruto was going to be his, not some evil sand demon jerks, deciding to crawl into his territory. Sasuke had spent too much damn time thinking about that blond boy, too much of his valuable precious time in obsessing over every little detail, to give it up just like that. Just as soon as he figured out how, Naruto was definitely going to be his, something.  
  
Sasuke truthfully hadn't really figured out what Naruto was actually going to be to him, but damned if he was going to let Gaara take that away, whatever it was.  
  
Imagine his surprise to see the object of his fury coming straight towards him with a slight grin on his face. And alone. The sigh that the taller boy released was almost audible. Maybe today was his lucky day after all. He was thinking this right up until the point that Gaara was face to face with him. There was something indescribable within the sand nin's face as he gazed slightly up into hard black eyes.  
  
"Naruto said some very interesting things about you, Sasuke-kun."  
  
A growl of pure rage found its way up from Sasuke's stomach as he, without thinking, lunged for the boy. Gaara, who wasn't seeing red in his eyes, neatly dodged the lunge and grinned at the rage filled boy from an up high vantage point. Sasuke punched the wall leaving a bloody dent as his skin broke, and then stared coldly up at Gaara.  
  
"If you've done anything to him you sonova-"  
  
Now it was the red heads turn to look surprised. He carefully jumped down and looked Sasuke eye to eye.  
  
"Why would I do anything to Naruto-kun? He's my friend."  
  
There was a slight emphasis on friend that didn't really appeal to Sasuke whatsoever. He really wanted to thrash this person in front of him into a bloody pulp, which meant he wasn't thinking again. He took a deep breath and forced his eyes to meet Gaara's. And then suddenly took a step back, and another as the red headed boy advanced on him. It wasn't fear his mind supplied hurriedly, for his ego's sake, but surprise that drove him against a cold wall.  
  
"And what have you been to him lately, Sasuke?"  
  
Sasuke could tell that his answer would be really important right now. Maybe it was the strong emotion in the others eyes or the sting of wet blood against his fingers. Or maybe it was the fact that a large accumulation of sand had started to cover his wrists and feet that could have clued him in. Not particularly subtle of Gaara, but effective enough to make Sasuke's mind work again.  
  
Why had the boy asked him that? Had Naruto told him about their fights? He winced. That was probably the case, and if so he didn't really blame Gaara for being pissed off. He looked away and then gasped when he felt his head wrenched back by a hand. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as once again a green pair bore into his. There was no excuse for this though.  
  
"Well Sasuke? Times ticking and you still haven't answered my question."  
  
Sasuke shook his head sharply to dislodge the hand; Gaara didn't back off at this however. If anything he got closer. The bound boy could feel the heat of his breath burning against his neck as he stared down. He knew Gaara wouldn't understand how much it hurt to tell him the truth, but to avoid being maimed Sasuke thought it wise to just answer as best he could. He also told Gaara because with the other boy so close he was finding it harder and harder to think. He laughed to himself sarcastically, what had that been about being able to handle the sexuality while Naruto could not?  
  
"I haven't been anything to that blond idiot. He's been avoiding all of us lately."  
  
This seemed to surprise Gaara more then expected.  
  
"Everyone?"  
  
Sasuke blinked, as the restraints were suddenly gone although he still could barely breathe. This was because Gaara had both arms against the wall and was leaning with his head down without moving an inch out of Sasuke's personal space. All at once the young man pushed himself away and grinned at Sasuke.  
  
"Who is Naruto's ward Sasuke? Who would know him best?"  
  
"Iruka."  
  
Sasuke said without thinking. Then he cursed himself as Gaara laughed and disappeared, leaving him stranded in the middle of a dark street with nothing but a slight prayer that Iruka-sensei would be ok. 


	10. Absorbing The Demon 10

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough. Naruto/Sasuke pairing yaoi Rated: R By: Sunstrike  
  
Chapter Ten Absorbing The Demon  
  
The flame-filled, brightly coloured leaves of autumn were alive with screaming, pushing, chasing ninja children from the village. The brightly coloured, paper thin, detritus flew everywhere, going down shirts, pants, and socks making a messy situation even worse. After the horrified genins got over the shock of having their day's mission completely ruined, they had joined in as well, and all was laughing chaos.  
  
At the days end, parents all over the village would be scrubbing leaves out of places that no plant should ever be, but for now, before the tirades and lectures commenced, the kids just enjoyed themselves. All except one, who just watched a version of himself have fun, quietly thinking in the shadows of the trees.  
  
Naruto was slumped in the crook of very large tree, taking a break. He knew he couldn't stay there long. His copies hadn't exactly been easy to make and had tired him greatly. Sleep was an ever-watchful predator, eager to leap at the opportunity to strike. But it had gotten to the point were he couldn't have continued playing without giving something away. The caffeine and the high of the involvement with Gaara had worn off and it seemed as though the weight of his depression and fatigue would break the branch holding him up.  
  
He was so, tired. Mentally and now physically as well. Throwing out a couple of copies to entertain might actually have been the straw to break the camels back. Emotions assaulted him like weapons, and his mind wouldn't stay in place for more then a moment before moving on to another thought or image. He realized that the less sleep you get the faster your mind runs by little, and big things, alike. Then it would double back and go through it all again like a record stuck on replay. Naruto barely managed to form any real coherent thoughts now, but every once in a while he would manage to focus on something that interested him more then the other flighty things that flapped in his head and at the corner of his eyes.  
  
One of these reflections to absently cross his mind was that, this must be what Kyubi felt like, watching everything with jealous eyes from the sidelines of Naruto's own soul. Naruto could almost sympathize, except that the emotion was not new to him. The fox demon had merely reverted the situation to where it had been when Naruto was watching the children play from his customary swing. Something that he had thought was abandoned long ago, only to be resurfaced from the black mire of memories, best left forgotten.  
  
He chuckled ruefully as he noticed one copy holding a yelling Konohamaru upside-down in a flurry of leaves. He had laughed when others had done something funny in the playground before as well. The similarity was that no one paid any attention to the kid in the shadows.  
  
The chuckle degraded until all he could manage was choking out pain- filled sobs. He slammed his head against the rough bark and sat there, watching stars reflect in the darkness of his closed eyes. His hand covered his face to shut out more of the dim light in early evening and became wet with the salty drops that ran down his cheeks.  
  
Naruto was losing, everything. His mind, his soul, even his body wasn't his own anymore. He wanted to give up. Throw everything into the fire and watch it burn. But he couldn't even do that. Why Naruto couldn't accomplish something that seemed so simple, so easy, was cowardice. He was afraid.  
  
That was it. The single thing keeping him from letting the fox take everything, was fear. Of ending up with everything he had ever gained and accomplished being lost. He couldn't accept losing when he fought through his genin years, and he certainly wasn't going to concede to it now. The thought of mislaying the trust, and even love, that he had worked so hard for and treasured within his friends, filled him with the deep despair of the truly forsaken in life.  
  
Naruto had to admit that he was afraid of what they would do as well. If he became the kitsune it would shatter everyone's illusions that Naruto was just himself. Then he wouldn't even have a chance to reconcile, because everything that was him, his essential self, would be gone. Forever. And the same friends would hunt him down.  
  
He could imagine Kakashi and Sasuke maybe even Sakura, in white animal masks bearing down on him with nothing but lethal intent within their minds. Focused on naught but killing the demon that they had loved so much, for betraying everything that they stood for. Naruto shuddered but still couldn't shake the black depression and the need to give up. It just kept running, that stupid message, through his head:  
  
You could run from physical attacks, but; how were you supposed to run away from your own mind?  
  
Red-hot tears fell from his eyes and moved in a steady stream down Naruto's cheeks; he shifted, propping an arm on his raised leg and staring through the deep mist covering his eyes at the flame of the foliage. God, it felt good to finally cry. He had been holding back, trying to convince himself that everything was going to be all right and that he could handle this on his own. Now he knew that wasn't the case. Ignoring the whole thing had just let his defences down enough for someone to try and push their way in.  
  
He disdainfully wiped the wetness from his face. Gaara hadn't helped at all, what with the looks that barely concealed what Naruto felt was a genuine interest in his body. The sand-nin may have been a bit more passionate, but in the end, he had been just like everyone else. Then he sighed. Actually, it was good that Gaara had been focusing on something other then what was going on inside of Naruto's head, or else the blond boy might have been in for something far worse then a casual caress.  
  
This whole thing made him weak and vulnerable and by now he knew that anyone could just come along and take advantage.  
  
"Nii-san?"  
  
Naruto fell out of the tree with a yell at the close whisper by his ear. His breath hissed out as he landed straight on his butt in a shower of red and orange leaves. There was a laugh as something else, something heavy, landed on his stomach. He looked into wide brown eye's gleaming with a mirth that he had forsaken only a few months earlier to the demon residing within him.  
  
Naruto lost his breath again as Konohamaru tackled his chest in a big hug.  
  
"Are we playing hide and seek now? Is that why when I hit you, you disappeared? You're not mad at me are you, nii-san?" This last one was said in a slightly worried manner.  
  
"No, Kono'. Just. Trying. To. Breathe." Konohamaru blinked and scooted back a bit, giggling as Naruto gasped for air. Why was it that children really found enjoyment from hurting their elders? Naruto could remember that leaving a banana peel on the floor had to be the funniest thing in the world. Now he just thought of it as dangerous. Damn, he was getting old; his only consolation was that he could still make fun of Kakashi for being older.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that Naruto, but, actually," The boy raised his hand up to the back of his head and rubbed it with a concerned look that made him seem older then his eleven years. "I was talking about what happened at the old woman's coffee shop."  
  
Old woma-? Oh.  
  
"I'm not mad at you about that Konohamaru, it's just that most of the time it's not a good idea to tell people in general about that sort of thing. Gaara is one of those people that you don't even tell your birthday to in case he could use it against you."  
  
Naruto felt that he had fielded that question nicely, which didn't explain the puzzled and rather concerned look on the young boys face. Damn, now he knew how Iruka felt. People and their inquisitive natures would seriously be the death of him. He had to snicker mentally at, that, particular dark thought. Naruto knew he was delving into madness now, but was distracted by Konohamaru talking which was beating his battered mind into threads of incoherency, which left no time for madness, or answers.  
  
"Naruto, am I one of those people you can't trust? Everyone was told not to bother you about it when the accident happened by Iruka-sensei, but now everyone just seems to have forgotten! Except for me!" Naruto's eyes widened as the boy reached out and gave him a small punch in the head.  
  
"What happened to you?! You used to tell me everything! Now, even when school's out I can't find you! It took me weeks of gathering information to figure out your new favourite spot, and when I do, I find you talking with that demon bastard, when it should be me! Then I find out that you aren't telling him anything either! What's going on Naruto?! Don't you trust, well, anyone?"  
  
In the gathering gloom of the late evening, Naruto could see the soft sheen of tears forming in the other boy's eyes. Truthfully, he could feel a small prickling sensation forming again at the corners of his already sore ones. If he could just tell someone.  
  
"Konohamaru, I," and he stopped. What was he thinking?! Right, tell Konohamaru and have the boy, who seemed to be the one concerned person in the village, run off screaming in terror? Besides he was just a child, how could he possibly help someone with Naruto's problem, other then telling him that he needed psychotherapy? Trust was just as much an enemy as sleep right now, and he would guard it close to him.  
  
No, he was going to have to keep it to himself again. To lie, or, at least, dodge. His eyes widened in mock terror!  
  
"I.I can't believe you thought you could dupe me into revealing my secrets to one who would one day be my rival for hokage! How do I know that you won't use it to, stab, me," Naruto's voice trailed of as, to his chagrin, the boy didn't laugh and back off. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Konohamaru tackled him in a hug again, sobbing his eyes out.  
  
"If that's," Sniff. "The case," Snuffle. "I don't wanna be hokage!" Naruto was grounded, pressed up against the bark of the tree as tired punches tried to make as much contact with his chest as possible. " You idiot! I don't care about anything like that! I just want my big brother back to normal!" His chest tightened as he reached out and hugged the younger boy close. He could smell decaying leaves in Konohamaru's hair and could see a small scrape on his neck where some vengeful dying fire coloured scrap had sought final revenge when roughly shoved down his shirt in play.  
  
The boy, this person close to him, cared. And suddenly, everything didn't seem so hard anymore. The twinges in his stomach, the fox, Gaara, Sasuke. In that moment, none of them really mattered anymore to Naruto. All that mattered were tears and the small body encased within his arms.  
  
All the children had left long ago to the call of their parents, or their stomach's, which left the two boys alone beneath the tree, crying in the coming night.  
  
I'm sorry Konohamaru, Naruto said in his mind as he felt muscles go slack and soft breathing begin in his arms, the boy had fallen asleep against him, and the night was silent. I'm sorry I can't trust even you, yet. But one day, I'll make a story out of it, and you'll laugh at my stupidity and weakness and we'll go and eat ice cream and candy till our clothes don't fit anymore, and then.  
  
Naruto knew that he was rambling in his own mind, but he continued with the make believe day, when he had conquered all foes and had become the hero yet again. And everyone would stare wide eyed with fascination while he just laughed off all of the troubles that were even now plaguing him into distraction and madness. He didn't care about that anymore. A new thought was on replay within his mind now.  
  
It didn't matter if you were losing your mind, as long as you had someone that would miss you when you were gone.  
  
````````````  
  
Iruka studied the situation very carefully with a grim expression on his face. He moved to the right and then, the left, making sure that no detail was misplaced and that every inch of the small problem had been taken into account. Finally he sighed, and stood up, stretching. Tearful eyes looked at him in complete horror at what had happened and he suppressed the urge to chuckle.  
  
"Don't look at me like that, it's just a scrape! We'll get it cleaned up in no time! But in order to do that, little one, your going to have to either get up or let me take you to get a band-aid, and not scream, again."  
  
Tears filled the wide blue eyes as the small girl sitting on the ground whimpered at the small abrasion that marred a perfectly good knee. Iruka's ever-hardy patience might have worn thin by now if it weren't for the fact that he had years of Naruto training to make it into solid concrete. He had tried bribery, he had tried coercion, and nothing was working. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in contemplation, when suddenly he heard a small giggle.  
  
He looked down in amazement as the very young girl began to get up and move quietly towards something a few feet away. It almost looked like a small doll, but it was moving, maybe an animal? He moved a bit closer to see in the growing dimness. When he finally managed to peer over the moving girls shoulder Iruka felt as though his stomach had dropped to his heels. He was now witnessing something that would haunt him for the rest of his days.  
  
It was a small dancer, perfectly accurate and proportional, besides its tiny size, made completely of sand, twirling and moving to it's own music. The soft yellow substance that made up the creation moved and dripped from extended limbs and made circles in the air with each turn like soft yellow ribbons.  
  
Iruka's teeth clenched in horror as he watched the girl make a grab for it, only to have it disappear into the ground, then resurrect itself a few meters away, closer to the door of the school building, before going back to the small performance in a flurry of speckled dirt. This just could not go on. He made a movement to go and put a stop to it but felt a hand clench his shoulder.  
  
"Leave it. I promise it won't hurt her." Iruka blinked but didn't take his attention from the child for a second. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight out and he began to feel panic go through his mind, sharpening his senses to a razors edge. Promises were all well and good, but this person hadn't exactly been known to be particularly reliable.  
  
"Wha, what are you doing here, Gaara? I thought you would have finished your business and left the town by now." Where the hell was Kakashi? People like this weren't generally allowed to roam about as a rule. He heard a rueful chuckle and a flash of red was suddenly in his side view as the young man appeared next to him.  
  
"Just wanted to ask a few questions. You know, not being able to sleep much, one needs to occupy one's time." Iruka raised an eyebrow.  
  
"And you expect me to answer these, questions?" A flash of white as a smirk lit up the younger face.  
  
"It would be in your general interest to do so. And maybe everyone else's, given the answers."  
  
The teacher weighed his options. He was willing to bet that he actually knew more about the dangerous boy then expected. He was also wagering that Gaara knew nothing about him. This gave him the element of surprise, maybe. But with the child here there was an easily gained hostage. They were on even ground then and Iruka couldn't help but be curious as to why the boy had shown up to confront him.  
  
Last time the teacher had checked, there was nothing special recorded about his abilities, and, more importantly, no secrets uncovered. He had a sneaky suspicion that the new hokage might know a little bit about what Iruka was capable of, but he had never been confronted with it. Didn't want to be, for that matter. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched the girl get closer and closer to where he had been trying to get her in the first place, and made a decision. Probably a stupid one, but he was willing to take a chance on what Naruto had told him before about his rather erratic friend. That, and maybe the small hope that Kakashi would come and rescue him from the entire mess.  
  
"C'mon, you can help me get her inside to fix that wound." Iruka saw the movement of a nod and another flash of teeth. Slowly they made their way to the building and Iruka didn't even pay any attention to the dangerous boy at his side as he focused all his awareness on the child's well being.  
  
Finally, after a seemingly endless walk to the small infirmary, the tiny dancer stopped, bowed, and turned into two sandy butterflies that flew off out the door. The little girl clapped and squealed as Gaara made a dramatic bow, mimicking his small creation. Even Iruka had to chuckle as he sat her on the table. Then he went to his stash of candy. Soon the little one was walking out of the door to meet her parents with a pink band-aid and a small lollipop, looking very pleased with herself.  
  
Leaving Iruka alone, with him. He blinked as the boy rooted around in his candy drawer for, by the look of it, another lollipop. Gaara held one up that seemed to suit him and raised his eyebrow in a silent plea to ask if it was all right. A stunned Iruka nodded back. Yes, its okay if you eat my candy, you spawn of hell. The hilarity of the situation nearly made him laugh out loud as he found a seat. If the teacher didn't know any better he would almost begin to believe that this was a harmless person just coming for a visit.  
  
Gaara abandoned the drawer and took the spot recently vacated by the small girl.  
  
"I can teach you how to do that, if you're curious." Iruka covered his shock with a simple expression and a laugh.  
  
"I'm not powerful enough to even contemplate something so complex." The boy snorted, and then outright laughed at Iruka's insulted expression.  
  
"Don't underestimate my intelligence. You wouldn't be in charge of all the children in the village if you were just some mere chuunin." Iruka gritted his teeth. Okay, so maybe this kid was a tad more perceptive then most. That still didn't explain why he was here.  
  
"My old guardian used to use that particular trick on me when he wanted to focus my attention away from," he paused significantly and Iruka gulped. "Other pursuits." The boy studied the candy in front of him as he slowly spun it between his thumb and forefinger, back and forth. It had an almost hypnotising effect to it and the older man had to tear his eyes away from it before he became drowsy. That, was really subtle, and Iruka had no doubt that the boy knew exactly what he was doing.  
  
"Of course, that was really the kind of person he was," Iruka leaned his arm on one arm of the chair and rested his head against the heel of his hands, letting his fingers drape lazily across his face, listening. There was something about the slow and leisurely way that the boy talked, as if he tasted every word for a flavour that he found satisfying. He shook himself mentally. Creepy, Iruka, stop thinking like that.  
  
"It must be nice, eh, Iruka-sensei?"  
  
"Hmm? What?"  
  
Gaara had lain back with the lollipop stuck firmly against his cheek and arms raised up to cushion his head. At Iruka's startled question, he turned his head to look straight into the teacher's eyes, the first time, the man realized, since he had met up with the boy earlier. They were deeply amused and mysterious green eyes, very different from the empty coldness or the insane heat from a few years ago.  
  
"Naruto's complete and utter trust within you. You must be very special to hold something like that." The eyes didn't change although Iruka could feel the atmosphere take a sudden drop. He was very, very angry now. This, this, person, was questioning his relationship with Naruto?! How dare he even approach something so close and personal and-  
  
"That means you'd be able to tell, right?" Cut short in his mental tirade, Iruka stared at Gaara for a few minutes before realizing that he could talk again.  
  
"Tell what?" Damn. He was left without any foothold at all in this conversation. Maybe he needed to go back to school himself after all of this was over.  
  
"You know. If something, unusual was happening with him, some odd new quirks or afflictions? Lack of sleep maybe?" At this last statement something changed within the boy that Iruka was amazed to see. Gaara was worried? About Naruto? Iruka was left wondering what the catch was. He wasn't left wondering long, however, as the boy frowned and got off the bed.  
  
"No, I can tell you don't know what I'm talking about." A sly grin yet again lit up the serious face, "Ah, Naruto-kun, how very manipulative of you to even hide it from your guardian, something I was never able to do." Iruka wasn't so sure he was supposed to hear that last statement.  
  
A lollipop stick clattered into the can.  
  
"Thank you for your time Iruka-sensei, I wish I could have found out more, but alas. I fear that one of these days I must go directly to the source." Iruka winced and Gaara laughed at that. "Ah the idea may not appeal to you now, but in a few weeks, who knows?" The laughing voice echoed down the hall, leaving the teacher seriously confused.  
  
"You may beg me to take him off your hands for a while." 


	11. Absorbing The Demon 11

Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, just this fic. It is enough.

Naruto/Sasuke pairing yaoi

Now considered AU but don't let that put you off. A few things won't add up with the show, but hopefully it will still run true with most of the character studies, and be enjoyable regardless .

Rated: R

By: Sunstrike

Chapter Eleven

Absorbing The Demon

**In** a forest, at another part of the continent, the leaves were still fiery…still exploding, the only difference was that these leaves hadn't been dying, hadn't been about to fall off the trees in the usual autumn way. Entire pieces of land were being blown away in pure flame. Smoke billowed in choking thickness and creatures ran for their lives.

Leviathan was having a tantrum.

He was frustrated be being forced into such a tight and confining place, and he was distraught at how little power there was, which wasn't quite true.

Imagine a person, releasing chakra. Pores open and release an amount, which complies with how much that singular person can take. Now, picture that person as a funnel, with an ocean behind it. The results were more then messy, they were disgusting.

Flesh was expanding and contracting, forcing itself into another form, in some cases it was dripping off in rags, like old clothes on a body that was too big, or plastic wrapped around clay that was alive and suffocating. Somewhere in that mess was the remains of a human, and the beginning of a serpentine creature, but right now it just looked like something some had chewed up and spit out. Flies, that weren't caught in the explosions of chakra, buzzed furiously around bleeding flesh, doing what flies do best, making something not all that appealing to begin with, worse.

This was a new development for the creature, which, up until this point, had been making progress towards something more powerful, a bigger funnel, as it were. But when something rejects its host as much as Leviathan had, the host starts to degrade at an alarming rate. Now the creature trapped in the body was trying desperately to form the flesh back together. Unfortunately it hadn't been in enough contact with humans to know what they truly looked like, so was going with what it had known from reflections on water surfaces and on smooth cave walls.

To Orochimaru, who was observing silently in a patch of tree's still standing, it was a pathetic sight, and one ripe for advantage, to the right people. He shifted on the tree branch, just slightly. He sympathized with the creature's frustrations, for he as well was suffering from similar problems. Itachi had not contacted, but truthfully he hadn't expected there to be any reply, had actually hoped that there would be none, because that gave him the opportunity he needed. But it was still a bit irking to be ignored. It showed just how much of a defeat he had taken at the hands of the Leaf Village, and, more specifically, at the hands of Naruto. Now wasn't the time to think of failures, however. And with that simple thought, he jumped down and advanced on the creature.

Even though he was used to the smell of death and decay he still had to gather himself slightly when he came within range of the beast. The atmosphere was terrifyingly awesome up close, and when a blue orb in a rotting skull turned to look his way, he was hard pressed not to run screaming into the hills. Years of technique and fortitude, no less some large amounts of necromancy, boosted his confidence however, though he nearly lost everything when it spoke at him.

"You do well to come so close, huuuuuuman." The eye squinted and it heaved its body around with lots of squelchy noises. Orochimaru's own eyes did not leave the orb. To back off now and stare away would be like flicking off a firing squad. He kept faith in the knowledge that while he stared into the blue, his line of vision would keep out seeing anything else. "You have the rrrrrrreak of snake about you, strange, for a huuuuuuuman." The odd inflection of his voice was made by the fact that two voices were trying to carry over the same voice box, with probably the same effect as the chakra mentioned earlier.

"My studies required many reptiles, they are a part of me now, and always shall be, your grace." The eye widened for a moment before retaining the suspicion of before.

"You speeeeeak to me as if I werrrre as nnoble as I onccccccccce wass, huuuuman. Even though I appearrrr to you as suuuch?" To reiterate this, the creature rose to its full height, something that Orochimaru had rather wished that it hadn't. Things twisted and turned under flagging and blue skin, the smell was unbearable, though through it all, he still managed to find his voice.

"Your grace, though the body may be, unwanted, you are still the demon inside, are you not." It seemed to ponder this statement, and then too tired to speak or to stand, it flopped down. Little pieces flew off in all directions, only to start moving back again towards the main body.

"I will need those." Was the simple statement in explanation. Another thing Orochimaru could have done without. "You arrrre correct, what do they callll you?"

Instead of answering right away, Orochimaru pondered, considered all the requirements of the name that he would have to choose, they could be there for hours while the thing tried to work through the tongue twister that was the snake-man's original name. He went with the shortened version.

"Maru."

"Well, then Marrrrrru. Explain to me, why I should not consummmme you where you stand?" The teeth, some sharp and alarmingly new, grinned through the cracking skin and its head stretched and moved closer. Orochimaru stood his ground.

"Unappetising." Was the simple statement. And before it could muddle though an answer to that one he began to speak again. "Besides, I know what you want, and I know how to get it to you." Surprise rippled over the monsters face. Orochimaru continued. "You need power, to retain your form again, you need a sacrifice to absorb that power, and you need a host to transfer to that won't fall apart, one that you can manipulate into doing what you desire, correct?" The creature mumbled an acknowledgment to this statement. "I can get these and bring them to you, which, in your current state, is impossible." Claws scrabbled on the ground forming huge rents where they passed, and Orochimaru was snatched up before he could think. He choked as he was brought up close to blue eyes that now had vibrancy about them that wasn't apparent before.

"Do this for me, and I will not eat you. I mayyyy even give you an exxxtra rrreward, Marrrrru." It hissed. "Betray, or fail me and I will do much worse then eat you." The threat was left in the air, threateningly clear. All Orochimaru could do was nod.

Out of the frying pan-

**The** first few snowflakes fell as Naruto carried the sleeping Kohonamaru home. Darkness filled the streets and a cold chill blew through his hair. It was a little disconcerting to see the flakes evaporate before they hit his body, but at least the boy on his back was warm. Safely dropping the slumbering bundle at his well lit, cosy home, Naruto made his own way to the empty apartment he still resided in.

He had been thinking much on what the young boy had said, and realized ultimately just how far he had fallen. His goals were becoming blurry with determination to survive, which fought against the other realization that not many people would want demon spawn as a Hokage. It was comforting that most would rather have just Naruto, and gave him a renewed strength in believing he could ultimately overthrow the fox demon.

Maybe it was time to talk to Kakashi and Iruka about this, three heads were better then one, right? And they wouldn't persecute him for something beyond his control, he had no idea where that thought had originated. It was ridiculous. I mean, look at the facts up until now, he thought to himself. They had delt with Sasuke and welcomed him back, and that guy had fallen as far as you can go. Probably was still gone, around the edges, if Naruto wanted to be brutally honest with himself. After all, Itachi was still out there, and as long as he was, the dark boy would still be at war within.

Hey, that was a point. Naruto wasn't the only one fighting a battle, maybe Sasuke would understand…

He had to laugh out loud at that. Yes…he'd understand all right, in his own dark way. Pondering through the blond's declaration with that pretty face showing no emotion, until stating how much of an idiot Naruto was for keeping it to himself. Nothing bad would come of telling a friend. That settled manners. He'd go right up to Sasuke and tell him what was going on. He was leaf-nin, he would understand.

Naruto opened the door…and barely missed the fist that came for his face.

"Naruto!" Dark eyes were alight with inner anger as a foot came from the left. Naruto rolled to the right and grabbed onto a wooden chair for balance.

"Sasuke! What the hell-?"

"What did you tell HIM!"

Who? What? Wher- the thought was cut out as Sasuke advanced with lethal intent. He seemed surprised when the chair came up to defend, Naruto shaking a bit behind it. Sasuke tsked with disgust, what was wrong with the blond? He'd never been scared of a fight before…

Though not with fear as the dark haired boy thought. Naruto was trying desperately to hold back the sudden influx of chakra that had appeared at his defence. If it hadn't been so dark, his eyes would have given away the sudden inner struggle.

The chair dug painfully into him as Sasuke pushed up against it and grabbed the wooden legs, attempting to wrench it out of his grip. But Naruto would not be moved, would not give way, lest the whole thing explode in his friends face. Red began to eek out of his hands and the alien power slowly began to spiral around the parts that he was holding onto, barely kept in check. The heat of the room dramatically rose to furnace level.

"Gaara. What did you tell him?" It was said through clenched teeth, and Sasuke moved so he was as close to the blonds face as possible.

Eh! He was trying to kill Naruto over a conversation! It didn't make him any better to know that Gaara had shared said talk with the person now trying to do him serious bodily harm. Naruto knew he shouldn't have said anything, damn hormones. He choked out an answer.

"You jackass! Why does everything have to be about YOU!" Naruto was on the edge now, his strained confidence bearing the brunt of this attack, the chair shook more as power began to fill it.

Sasuke just now began to notice the huge change in atmosphere, it was beginning to be very dark around Naruto, though the lights from the window should have been lighting up at least a few of his features. Slight wisps of smoke began to pop up from the joints of the wood he was holding, and he actually began to feel his hands start to burn.

Anger moved aside for startlement. What was Naruto-?

The thought was interrupted as the door suddenly slammed into his back, pushing him and a burst of colness forwards. The already weak chair gave way, and he was falling. Straight into Naruto. There was an oof that was smothered and in a tangle, they both fell to the floor. The heat was…incredible, suffocating, unbearable. And then a hand reached down and yanked him off of the blond into the cold night air. He gasped for air, but stifled it just as quickly, lest the weakness be noticed.

"Sorry about that you two, I heard yelling…" And so went Iruka. Kakashi, the one holding onto a now severely embarrassed Sasuke, just sighed and put him down on his feet, only to grab him again when he swayed.

"What's going on here?" Was the quiet statement from under the mask. There was a chuckle from the floor, and Naruto sat up. Sasuke blinked. Had it all been an illusion? He thought, as they fell, that he had seen something behind Naruto's eyes. Something he'd only witnessed once before…and then there was that heat.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei, Iruka, it's nothing, really." The one eye narrowed at the cheeky, patent, Naruto grin and then focused on the taller Sasuke.

"Well!" The dark haired boy jumped and then just looked away in silent agreement. Another, long suffering sigh. "I thought you two were old enough to be over this by now. Sasuke go home. Naruto…" He turned away, having let the other boy go. He left them out into the snow with a parting glare.

"Iruka said that Gaara visited him today…and Sasuke mentioned earlier that you may have run into him. I hope you were careful? Relations with the Sand-nin are strained at best…"

Naruto looked up from trying to clean up the splinters as quickly and subtly as possible. Another fake smile.

"We just talked of old times and headaches, Kakashi-sensei. If you want proof ask Konohamaru when he wakes up tomorrow. He got most of the conversation without being caught, I think." And with that he turned his back on the other two, who shared a look. It hurt too much to smile anymore. There was silence until the door closed.

He waited a while longer, before finally leaning back against the wall under the window. Shadows and light danced as curtains moved. As he watched them with empty eyes he began to curl up on himself more.

What was he going to do now?


End file.
